


Untitled G/t Scenarios

by Lifewriter



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Borrowers - Freeform, Giant/Tiny, I guess that counts as a tag?, M/M, Size Difference, does swearing count?, don't take this seriously, it's just a bunch of drabbles, its gt, swearing I guess then lol, this is all literally WIPs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-08-26 08:11:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 94,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16677862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lifewriter/pseuds/Lifewriter
Summary: Literally all of these are unfinished except for, like, four, lmao.





	1. Untitled #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Borrower!Virgil and Roman. Human!Patton and Logan.

The glass that separated them was too thick to be broken by just sheer force. The jar itself would have to be pushed off of the table to get the other borrower free.

However, a fall from such a height and then the smashed glass would create a hazardous environment to get him out of.

Then, there was also the sound of the glass smashing that would alert the humans in the apartment of the escape attempt, which would then in turn lead to them both being captured instead of just the one.

So, there weren’t many options.

This fact was proven with how Virgil was helplessly watching Roman pace back and forth on the table, an inch from the glass he was trapped behind. He had been like this — in his own little mind palace — for a while now and nothing had come of it. Not a single solution to the problem. They had gotten lucky that the humans that had caught Virgil had both been miraculously busy today.

Logan had university to attend and Patton had work.

Which would give Roman and Virgil at least half of the day to try and get the latter out of there.

“I- I have a plan,” Roman finally broke the tense silence and he turned quickly on his heel, causing the bag on his side to whip dangerously behind him.

Virgil quirked a brow, sitting cross-legged on the bottom of the jar, his chin resting in the palm of his hand as he tilted his head to look up just slightly. He was tired of all of this trying. They had already had a few different ideas and none of them had worked, or were just flat out irrational. “Is it a _good_ one?”

Roman shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable. He smiled weakly, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s a plan.”

“Great,” the trapped borrower grumbled, “I’m going to die in here.”

“Well you try thinking of something!” He snapped back, frustrated and stressed and terrified for his friend’s life. If he couldn’t get Virgil out of this mess, what kind of a friend _was_ he? “You’ve done nothing but sit in that jar and sulk since I’ve gotten here! This—” He motioned vaguely to the mess they found themselves in “—is only going to get worse. If we manage to push the jar over the edge of the table …”

“We already ruled that out, Roman,” Virgil replied, pushing himself into a stand and knocking his knuckles against it, before placing a flat hand against it as if he were proving a point. “A fall from this height won’t necessarily be lethal, but the sharp glass might as well be.” Watching the hopelessness finally fill the other’s eyes cut deeply. “It’s better if you just get out of here. I don’t want us both to end up like this.”

“Stop it,” the prince hissed, shaking his head. Desperately trying to grasp onto something to use. An idea that could get them out of this. “I’m not leaving you here. You have no idea what they’re going to do to you! We’ve been watching them long enough to know that Logan’s a man of _science._ So, you and I both know how well science bodes with borrowers. Patton—well, he might be the better choice of the two, but come on. Do you really want to have to face either of them?”

“You know my answer to that—”

“And that’s why I can’t leave you here,” he continued and Virgil watched as Roman’s pacing started up again. “If I ditch out and you’re face-to-face with those humans I know for a fact that it will only be a matter of time before you succumb to a panic attack.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“If you have an attack, you’ll have to ride it out yourself.”

“So what? I’ve done it before.”

“I know, but it’s not healthy!” Roman rubbed his hands through his hair, before pushing his locks out of his eyes and letting his hands rest on the nape of his neck. He stopped abruptly finally and looked out over the kitchen blankly for a moment.

The silence held heavy between them. It seemed that it was finally understood that Virgil wasn’t getting out of this. If he did, it certainly wouldn’t be unharmed or unchanged.

God, what if he got _experimented_ on and was mentally unstable afterwards? Or if he was so messed up that he wouldn’t be able to function? What if something snapped and he would be emotionless or emotionally unstable?

Who knew what Logan would do in the intentions of understanding their kind.

Or Patton? Sure, he looked harmless, but that harmlessness could really just be something to be used against them. It could just all be a facade.

The thought of losing one of the few people he had really considered a friend—or even the voice of reason—was heartbreaking. They had shared so much time together. Roman had helped coax Virgil out of panic attacks, or sitting with him through the nights where he woke with a nightmare. Or when Virgil would sit and listen in on his ramblings and even, sometimes, encourage him. Or the nights they spent with whispered stories in the darkness, laughter and silent snickers as they tried to contain themselves. He didn’t want to lose those moments. He didn’t want them to just become memories because he was unable to get him out of the jar.

“I can’t lose you,” Roman finally told him, shaking his head as if trying to dismiss the idea of losing his best friend. He turned, before approaching the glass again and placing his hand against the side of it. “I’m begging you, let me find a way out of this mess. Don’t fight me on this. You can fight me on everything else if you want. But not this, Virgil, _please._ Not this.”

When Virgil met Roman’s eyes, he had seen such a deep terror fluttering behind them. Emotions that he, himself, knew all too well and it pained him to see the same ones in the other. Someone who was always so passionate and ready for an adventure or a challenge.

He wanted to say something against it, but that look in his eyes made him nod finally. “Okay,” he agreed finally. “Fine. Let’s find me a way out of here, alright? I’m still ruling out pushing the jar off of the table unless that’s our absolute last resort.”

“Deal,” Roman agreed hastily.

He knew that Virgil didn’t have his hook with him. Lack for his bag entirely, actually, which had been discarded on the kitchen counter on the opposite side of the room. Right now, getting him out was the main priority. Getting his things later would be the better option.

Roman snapped his fingers when it hit him. “We can knock the jar over. We don’t have to roll it, but if I can get access to the lid maybe I can use my knife and cut the air holes big enough for you to get out of.”

Of course, Virgil had wanted to say how stupid of an idea that was, when he really went over it in his head. Was it actually that stupid? Honestly, not really.

He nodded. “Let’s try it.”

If he were being honest, Roman was a bit surprised how readily Virgil had agreed, but he wasn’t going to bring that up now in fear of having him change his mind.

The two silently figured out the way they would be pushing it over and had readied themselves at the positions that were believed to be the best.

“On three!” Roman called, watching as Virgil rolled his shoulders back and laid his hands against the glass. “One.” He readied himself, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. “Two.” A moment of peace needed to sweep over him, though he had a tingling feeling that they didn’t have much time to try and attempt this. They had spent too much of that time arguing. “Three!”

Virgil had thrown his shoulder against the side of the glass just as Roman had nearly mirrored the same movement. The young men were both sorely disappointed when they got nothing but the jar to rock back and forth.

“Again,” Virgil demanded, “before it settles.”

They repeated the motion when it had rocked backwards and after a couple more times, the two had managed to bowl the jar over onto it’s side.

The moment of relief was short-lived.

Virgil had caught on sooner than Roman had, it seemed. As he was pushing himself into a stand and bringing out his knife to start digging into the air holes to try and cut them a bit bigger, the sound of the front door being unlocked seemed to echo around them.

“Roman,” his voice came as a sharp whisper and the both of them froze. “Run. Get out of here. Now.”

“I already told you—”

“I know what you told me but this isn’t the time to play the hero,” Virgil hissed, “if you get caught we’ll have no chance! Get out of here!”

He really looked as if he wanted to refute that, but without any solid evidence, he couldn’t. Tucking his weapon away just as the door began to creak open, he grabbed his hook and made his way towards the opposite side of the table.

Roman paused for half a second. “I’ll be back tonight. I promise.”

A spark of hope ignited within Virgil’s chest even as Roman disappeared over the edge of the table and dropped out of sight.

So, the borrower in question wrapped himself further into his hoodie and sunk down against the bottom of the jar. They had gotten so close to actually getting him out and their plans had been foiled within seconds. If only they had done that at least half an hour earlier, he might have been home free.

The door shutting almost seemed to shake the apartment in question, but he just remained seated, arms crossed and hood pulled up.

When the human actually came into view, he remained tucked down into himself. It was obvious what was going to be happening next and there wasn’t much he could do deny the fact that it was _going_ to happen. Though, if given the right amount of time, maybe he could stall it for at least a little bit.

The silence was heavy as the human continued to move in the kitchen without saying anything to him, or even acknowledging his current presence in the jar.

It was also possible that Roman’s idea to roll the jar over the edge of the table wouldn’t be that preposterous either. The more nervous he grew, the better he thought that option was becoming.

Leaning to the side, Virgil was able to move the jar a bit, causing him to nearly lose his balance in response to the movement. He paused instantly when he felt the weight of two large eyes on his back. The heaviness moved again and he let out a small breath in relief.

Before he could actually continue on his mission, the repeated footsteps hitting the ground were getting closer. He had no choice when the shadow of a hand overcame the jar and was instead lifted directly off of the table and two large eyes were peering through the lenses of his glasses at him. The jar was righted and he slipped into the bottom of the jar.

“Seems I underestimated your cognitive ability,” Logan mused. “You also seem to be stronger than you look. Fascinating. I’ll make a note to weigh the jar down next time.”

Virgil didn’t respond verbally, but he did send a heated look up through his bangs as he pulled himself into a sit. One hand pressed against the side of the jar to keep himself steady. Seems that was the wrong idea as Logan had instead tilted the jar itself to get a better look at him.

“Five fingers, extraordinary. You seem to be matched entirely to a human, yet the size difference should make it impossible for something like you to survive. Yet the evidence is right in front of me.”

_Do you speak English, by any chance?_

“Incredible,” Virgil spoke. It took him a moment to actually realize he had said it aloud instead and the wide eyed look from Logan only solidified that he had heard him too.

Seemed he had momentarily forgotten that he wasn’t talking with Roman.

“You speak,” he stated the obvious. “Though I should have assumed so. If you have the ability to think for yourself, then one should believe you’d be able to speak too. So, all this time you have been able to understand me and have just been refusing to answer anything I was saying.”

_Yeah, that’s pretty much it._

“This leads to so many more questions. Now, with the knowledge that you understand me, and can speak, I’m sure it will make this less painful for the both of us. Though, one question I must ask right now, is if you’re alone or not. That information would be helpful.”

“Nice try,” Virgil shot back, tucking in on himself and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I get my stuff taken from me and you just assume I want to answer questions?”

The un-amused look that crossed Logan’s features seemed cold almost — though, if Virgil was being honest with himself, he couldn’t tell if the human was _trying_ to look intimidating, or if that was just his normal face.

“I can understand that losing your personal belongings may be disheartening, but I couldn’t risk you running off and losing my only chance of getting to understand such an extraordinary creature.”

“First of all, stop calling me a _creature_.” He sniffed at that, the term just sounded derogatory and unnecessarily rude.

“So, your species has a name?”

Virgil blanched. Well, technically speaking, yes they did, but then again, on the other hand, they also didn’t. Humans would certainly call them something different then what they, themselves, might. “W-well, not necessarily—”

“I won’t pry on that,” at least, for now. “Then, would you prefer to be referred to by your name, assuming you have one?”

At that, he just fell silent.

The quiet held. It was deafening. Who knew that silence could be so loud?

—————

When Virgil had finally refused to give up any more answers, as he had already given up too much information, the night had crawled by at an agonizing pace.

Roman and him had spent more than enough times watching the two humans getting down their natural rhythm, he knew that Logan was someone that would stay up way into the waking morning if it meant he got his work done. Patton on the other hand, tried to keep a more consistent sleeping pattern. For this reason, Virgil wasn’t exactly sure when he would be left alone.

Though, the longer him and Logan seemed to be watching each other in silence, the more he could see the weariness growing in the human’s features. The longer that he could stall, was probably his only chance.

He doubted that the man would be able to pull three all-nighters in a row, so it was only a matter of waiting to see who caved first, and it certainly wasn’t going to be Virgil.

So, when Patton finally came back into the living from cleaning the kitchen, he had managed to convince Logan that getting some sleep would help him focus for the next day. He had also offered Virgil something warmer to sleep in than just the jar itself, but the borrower hadn’t said anything in return.

Logan had kept true to his word and had this time weighed down the jar by setting two of his textbooks on top of it, and keeping it sturdily in place. His reasoning was _“to keep the tiny creature from pushing the jar over again and possibly causing itself harm.”_

Like he actually cared about him hurting himself. It was more so the fact that he didn’t want to risk losing such a ‘precious and extraordinary chance’ at learning about something completely new.

The textbooks themselves had been shifted _just so_ that three air holes in the top remained uncovered. It had been a fear of his, having his only chance at fresh air—or any air at all—being cut off completely.

The lights had flickered out and both humans had retreated to their respective rooms, retiring for the night. The absolute relief that he had just because his jar had been left in the living room was immeasurable.

He sat in the silence for another twenty minutes, listening to the clock ticking consistently. The sound was almost comforting. He let his head rest against the cold touch of the jar and his eyes slid closed for the first time that day. At this point, Virgil was almost positive that he had been up for almost—if not—twenty-four hours and it was slowly beginning to show. The way his energy was fading fast.

If Roman didn’t get here soon, it was only a matter of time before he was out for the night.

As much as he hated to admit it, sleeping didn’t sound so bad. Sure, the place was less than ideal, as well as the circumstances, but he could make it work. At least for tonight.

That was the exact moment he heard the small clinking of something being tossed upwards and catching on a dip in the wood. Instantly, he perked up, leaning forwards on his knees as he peered into the darkness of the living room and soon enough, on the figure of the other borrower heaving himself up and onto the solid surface.

“I promised you I’d be back tonight,” Roman spoke up, offering a smile in the darkness.

“I was starting to doubt,” Virgil pushed himself into a stand, a small smirk crossing his features. Though, it quickly fell at the reminder of the books currently weighing the jar down. Before Roman could say anything about it, he beat him to it. “Logan had the brilliant idea of weighing it down so I couldn’t push it over again.”

“Hmm,” was the only thing he got in response.

“Any great ideas? I’ve got nothing. Spent most of my time in here trying to figure a way out.”

Roman’s eyes turned away from the jar for a moment, scanning the area and the tabletop in turn. Looking for something that could possibly help them knock the books off. Either way, it was going to create a loud noise that would alert the humans in the household. It would give them mere seconds to get Virgil out of the jar and then make an escape that would actually get them somewhere.

Though, there was nothing that would allow either of them the chance of actually tipping the thing over.

No, Roman wasn’t going to be bested by astronomy textbooks. They just had to get enough force to get them off of the lid itself. “God, Logan’s such a nerd,” he mused, scrunching his nose as he took in the thickness of the two books. He tried to figure how much the two would weigh, especially in comparison to their relatively tiny sizes.

“Big surprise,” Virgil mused, “tell me something I don’t know.”

“Alright, look. Have you already tried pushing?” The look Roman got in return was flat, clearly not amused and one that said _‘of course I have, you really think I sat here and haven’t done anything?’_ Which was fair enough, he guessed. “Okay. So you’ve already tried pushing, but that was by yourself. Maybe we can actually move them together.”

Virgil scoffed. “I doubt it.”

“Okay Debbie Downer, how about we give it a shot and then decide if it works or not afterwards, huh?”

A heartbeat of silence passed and the latter relented. “Fine,” he nodded his head, “let’s give it a shot.”

Roman moved to the same side he had taken the last time they had tried, and placed his hands against the cool glass. “On three again,” he instructed, and he watched as his partner mimicked his position, facing the opposing way, his back to him. “One.” Roman closed his eyes, taking another steadying breath before nodding his head. “Two.” He watched as Virgil rolled his shoulders back, backing up a couple spaces—or as much as he could in the limited space. “Three!”

On his mark, Roman had pushed himself against the glass as hard as he could while Virgil had thrown his shoulder against the offending glass, only to bounce backwards on the impact and stumble back against the glass wall right where Roman was standing.

“Sonofa—” he hissed, moving a hand to grasp his shoulder.

“Virgil?” The prince spoke up, eyes concerned. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he groused, shaking his shoulder out, “let’s do it again. I think I felt it budge.”

In fact, Roman hadn’t felt anything and he was pretty sure that Virgil hadn’t either, but that sinking despair in not being able to get him free was cold and biting. He wasn’t going to let the humans win this round. Not when they were so close.

So, they tried again. And again. And again.

Nothing changed. Every time the jar stayed put. There was no give, there was no leeway.

Roman finally slumped against the outside wall of the glass, watching helplessly as Virgil’s attempts to push the thing over got more and more desperate. His panting breaths echoed inside the glass confinement and his heart broke deeper into his chest.

Then he stopped, Virgil’s shoulders bunched and he was suddenly sliding down the glass and onto his knees.

“This really is it,” he broke the silence after a moment, “it’s over.”

“No it’s not,” Roman hissed, ignoring the dejected tone and pulling himself up, he then made a point of moving around the glass and dropping to his knees in front of the other borrower. “This is not over. I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care what I have to do. You’re getting out.”

“How?” Was the only thing Roman was going to get in response and the question left him staggered.

_How?_

It should have been such a simple answer.

He should have been able to say something right off the top of his head, but seeing that resigned look on the features of his partner, he felt something in his chest snap. Emotions were flooding forwards and he shook his head, suddenly overwhelmed with the reality he had been trying so hard to avoid. “I-I don’t know,” he broke, smiling hopelessly through his pain, as it etched itself across his face. “I don’t know. I don’t—”

“Hey,” Virgil spoke up, gaining his friend’s attention almost instantly, and Roman looked as if he were on the verge of having a breakdown. “It’s okay.”

“No,” he barked back. He hadn’t meant to snap. “No. This is not okay. This is _anything_ but okay. Don’t you dare tell me that you’re giving up. Not now.”

“Roman—”

The sound of a door opening cut him off almost instantly and Roman shot up from his spot on the tabletop, eyes shooting back behind him as the sound of soft footsteps echoed throughout the household.

Reacting before thinking rationally, he had pulled at the pin that he used as a weapon, and he shoved it in the direction he knew the human was coming from. It was impossible to tell which one it was, but it was dangerous either way.

“Don’t just stand there,” Virgil hissed, placing both of his hands against the side of the jar. “Don’t be an idiot. Get out of here.”

Roman didn’t answer and he instead held his ground, taking a step backwards and putting himself closer to the jar and he kept the pin up.

As soon as the human appeared in the doorway, his heart skipped a beat and he raised his weapon higher, trying to make it seem more like a threat than it probably was. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if it was Patton or Logan. They both had glasses and they did look rather similar from a distance, the darkness also wasn’t helping with the distinction.

“ _Roman_ ,” Virgil’s voice dropped to a sharper hiss, but he was ignored yet again.

His heart skipped another beat when the human started to get closer and before he knew it, Roman had his back pressed against the glass, but his pin was still raised in self-defense. “St-stay back, human!” He demanded, trying to keep his voice from wavering. He needed to at least assert some dominance.

The human paused for a moment, taking a few steps closer before kneeling down to get more eye-level with the two borrowers.

“I’m sorry.”

Thank God. It was Patton.

Roman didn’t say anything as he kept his pin up and threatening, and Virgil stayed behind him, eyes wide, watching and waiting.

“I really am sorry about all of this,” he continued, which only seemed to confuse the both of them more. “Logan tends to get a bit … overexcited when he finds stuff he doesn’t understand. I couldn’t sleep knowing you were stuck in there. Though, I didn’t know you had a friend.” Roman flinched backwards when Patton lifted a hand, but only ended up rubbing his eyes tiredly. “It’s obvious you’re both sentient and keeping you trapped is wrong.”

What was this all leading up to? Was he trying to play into their emotions? Honestly, Roman was sort of surprised he hadn’t been grabbed for yet.

“What are you getting at?” He jabbed the pin in Patton’s direction, prompting the other male to speak again.

“I want to let your friend out of there,” he admitted. “Logan isn’t going to be too happy about that, but we were keeping your friend from you. Whether we knew it at the time or not. I didn’t even know the little guy had a friend until, well, now. I really am sorry for all of this. Is it — can I open the jar? I think the books were a little overkill …”

He didn’t trust that. He didn’t trust that at all. “Why would you let us go if you know it’s going to upset the nerd?”

“Because it’s going to weigh on me. I already feel bad enough now, I need to right this wrong.”

“You’re not playing at anything?”

Patton smiled tiredly, sadly, before crossing a finger over his heart. “I promise I won’t do anything but let your friend out.”

Virgil seemed to relax a hair. Only the tiniest bit, but Roman was still coiled tight as a spring.

He then nodded his head, allowing him access. “Alright,” he relented, stepping to the side of the jar, sending his friend a short look promising that he’d be alright. He then lifted his pin again, in a warning this time. “But don’t even think about trying anything.”

Patton had never thought he’d feel intimidated by someone that stood under four inches tall, but that pin he was currently clutching onto would hurt if cut with.

So, slowly, he reached over top of the young man and grasped the textbooks on top of the jar, ignoring the way he got a pang when he watched the second one still trapped cower away from him. He settled the two books to the side and then unscrewed the lid of the jar and set that to the side as well. Now came the difficult part. “I’m going to tilt the jar slowly, okay? It’ll allow you to keep your balance.” He knew that the little guy wouldn’t want to be touched right now.

“Patton?”

A second voice entering the conversation made all three of them tense this time.

When Patton turned, he saw an exhausted looking Logan adjusting his glasses before crossing his arms.

“Can I ask what’s going on?”

“This isn’t right,” he answered back, releasing his hand from around the jar, keeping Virgil trapped in the bottom of it and Roman moved closer to the jar itself. Whether for his own comfort, or to keep somewhat proximity between him and the other, he wasn’t sure. “He’s clearly sentient and we’ve been keeping him from going home to his friend. Doesn’t that bother you?”

The other human took a moment of evaluating the situation, before sighing. “This isn’t the time to let your emotions get the better of you. We can’t lose this chance of getting to learn something entirely new about a species completely unheard of. It would be—”

“It would be fine,” Patton stepped in, brows set in concentration. “What does it matter? Keeping a person captive just because you want to learn something about him? That’s technically kidnapping.”

“We weren’t aware of the accomplice until just now,” Logan reasoned, “we weren’t keeping him from much, either, it seemed.”

Roman let out an offended noise at that, only before Virgil hushed him.

“Letting them both go would be a great loss in this extraordinary discovery.”

“Logan—”

“I can’t lose this chance of getting to understand such incredible creatures. Scientifically they shouldn’t be able to exist. There’s so much that we don’t know, think of it that way.”

“Think about how that would make them feel,” Patton put his say in, “how about that? How would _you_ feel if someone kept you against your will?” He was answered with an unhappy silence. “I wouldn’t feel too great, either. His uncooperative behavior earlier is fair and reasonable. Please, Logan, this isn’t right.”

For a moment, it almost looked like Logan was considering this. “Your emotions are getting the better of you, Patton.”

“I’ve heard enough, giant!” Roman declared, raising his pin again, but this time jamming it in Logan’s direction. Patton startled, but he clasped his hands together, keeping them away from the two tiny beings. Roman had drawn all the attention onto himself and he fought down the urge to shy away. “I demand you listen to your associate and release me and my friend this instant.”

“R-right,” Virgil echoed, lifting his gaze finally, but feeling butterflies fill his stomach uncomfortably.

Logan didn’t move for the moment. He narrowed his eyes, looking cold and analytical.

“See?” Patton broke the uneasy silence, sitting back on his haunches and looking pleadingly to his roommate. “They don’t want to be here, Lo. It’s doing more harm than it is good. Is your research really worth all of the suffering that it could potentially cause? His friend has clearly been worried sick.”

More silence. Virgil’s breath caught and Roman’s heartbeat accelerated as Logan stepped forwards. Patton had moved slightly to the side, almost trying to block the direct way to the borrowers.

“Relax,” Logan reassured them, though his tone held nothing that said they should be reassured, “I don’t wish to harm either of you. Though, I will propose a truce. This way we can both get what we want. You get your freedom and I get my chance to understand what the both of you are. This undocumented discovery is incredible. Losing a chance over _feelings_ would be ridiculous.”

Roman kept his pin raised, poised to strike in case there was any sudden grabbing. “What’re you proposing, human?”

“You and your partner are both free to go as long as you come back at least once a day.”

“No way,” Virgil spoke up, only to be instantly silenced by the calculating look he got in response.

“He has a point,” Roman continued on. “That’s certainly no freedom at all. You, of all people, should know that we wouldn’t come back if you let us go. Why are you bringing this up?”

“I just assumed that it would be better for you to freely roam if I knew you would come back.”

“Logan, how is that fair?” Patton furrowed his brows. “If they don’t want to come back, you shouldn’t force them.”

“ _He_ knows what he’s talking about,” Roman cut in. A quick tapping from the jar behind him told him to _‘shut up and stop talking back to a human’,_ to which, he left Virgil ignored again. “I don’t really understand why seeing us is so ‘incredible’—” he put the words into air quotations, “—but keeping us a-against our will isn’t going to make us talk.”

Roman stepped backwards a bit more, his free hand now pressing against the cool glass and he could feel just the slightest of warmth, from where Virgil was pressing his hand in the exact same place.

A show of a bond deeper than just companionship. It was also an act of reassurance.

“We don’t want any trouble,” he turned his attention to pleading instead, as much as he didn’t want to let go of the dominance he had gained. “But I can also speak for both of us when I say we’re never coming back.”

Logan nodded in understanding, but he wasn’t surprised. “See, there lies our problem,” he noted. “All of this resistance is based on how you feel, when touching on such _trivial_ things should be unnecessary. It’s unwise, as well.”

Patton bristled slightly, before his frown deepened. “How they feel is not irrelevant, you’re not looking at all the factors of this. This isn’t right. They’re just people, like you and me, just … smaller.”

“Which is exactly why it would be imperative to keep such creatures around. There wouldn’t be anything harmful happening,” which seemed to be directed at Patton _and_ Roman and Virgil. “It would be wholly within the restraints of observation.” Logan’s gaze flickered over the two, seeing the proximity between them—or what would be if there wasn’t a glass wall separating the two. “If I release your companion, you’re most likely going to run.”

Virgil wanted to say that, yes, that was exactly what they were going to do, but then there was the fact of putting Logan’s size in relative to their own and it was obvious they wouldn’t get very far.

“Even if it wouldn’t end in your favour.” Though, he continued to speak, it was just making the borrowers more nervous. “We can allow this to go one of two ways. We can make an agreement, which would certainly be more cooperation from your end. Or, you both stay while giving up the chance for you to get back into the walls, assuming that it’s the most obvious place.”

“What kind of choices are those?” Roman spoke up, scrunching his nose at the very idea of coming back. There was no chance of that happening.

“He’s right, Lo,” Patton piped in again, “it’s not fair to give choices that don’t really _feel_ like choices.”

Logan didn’t heed either of them and instead his attention locked down on Virgil, who was stood by the edge of the jar. He watched silently as the creature then seemed to feel uncomfortable under his gaze and folded in on himself as best as he could.

The movements were incredibly human. He had made other people his own size feel uncomfortable just by watching them, though this seemed to be much more for self-preservation. Even the way the second being was wielding the pin showed that he was ready to put up a fight, but the small shivering of the blade itself showed that it was a strong voice covering up real fear. Logan didn’t know how to feel about being the cause of that.

A part of him knew that this was for the best, that having them hesitant would create a much more cooperative pair of subjects. The other half of him knew that if someone was frightened, they would react on instinct or shut down completely and neither of those choices were going to help move this case along.

So, he had a choice to make here. Whether it went against ethics or if it went against what he wanted to do. He was sure that everyone knew what he _wanted_ but that would only be met with more resistance and it was much too late to deal with this.

One way was ideal to him, the other way would be ideal to the other three. Great.

When he realized he had been zoned out on the smaller form, Logan shook his head briefly.

“Well, Gigantor?” Roman’s voice piped up from the coffee table and his attention shifted down onto the pin-wielding one. “Come up with anything in that head of yours?”

“ _Stop it_ ,” Virgil hissed, knocking his knuckles against the glass wall again.

“I will not be phased by your name-calling,” was the first thing Roman got in response, before the brown eyes were locked on him. “Though, I have come to the conclusion that keeping you here against your will would be unsatisfactory for all of us, it seems.” The tension in the pin-wielder’s shoulders seemed to loosen at that, but his stance stayed the same. Logan knelt, feeling as if getting down onto their level would allow for a more ideal conversation. “So, I am willing to let you leave.”

He ignored, for the moment, the way Patton seemed to light up at that.

Virgil saw through that, and he shuffled on his feet. “What’s the catch?”

There _had_ to be something. Someone like Logan wouldn’t just let them leave freely and not expect something in return.

“I suppose you wouldn’t believe me if I said there was no catch.”

“Of course not,” Roman agreed. “So?”

“I would like to see the both of you again,” Patton was seconds away from stepping in and saying something, when Logan continued his thought, “but it doesn’t have to be immediate. Give yourself days, weeks. Whatever you deem fit.”

“I’m guessing years would be stretching it a bit, wouldn’t it?” There was a nervous laugh offered with it.

“Years would be stretching it, but I do suppose if you needed that sort of time to recollect yourselves, it would be alright.”

Logan could tell that the silence he was getting in response to this was a nervous one. Hesitant to accept it, he understood that much, but the deal seemed as good as anything he knew that _they_ would want to hear. If he got to have it his way, they would still have free reign, but that would stay within the apartment itself and would leave the walls off-limits unless a trip to their home, he guessed, was absolutely necessary.

He doubted they would ever truly be okay with coming back out, but if given time, then perhaps something more could come of their interactions if they followed through on their side of the deal.

He also knew that he was risking losing their chance entirely because he wanted to be able to comply with their wishes — and maybe for the reason that he would only be able to handle Patton looking at him helplessly for so long.

They seemed to be discussing between themselves, or at least, the most they could do without being too loud. As if they were trying to hide the conversation before coming to a conclusion.

“Well?” Logan finally prompted.

It seemed that when Roman turned around, it was still rather undecided. Which, he couldn’t really fault them for.

“Okay,” Roman scuffed his boot against the table before looking up and meeting Logan’s eyes. “Fine. We’ll do it this way. Can we go now?”

Logan went to speak again, but this time he was cut off by his roommate moving beside him.

“Of course,” Patton’s voice was quick, knowing exactly how fast he needed to speak to keep Logan from talking. “Let’s get your friend out of there and you can be on your way.”

—————

“You _fell?”_

“My ankle got caught in the string when I was repelling,” Virgil limped into the house him and Roman had built together. Various little trinkets strewn around the place to make it feel more like a _home_. He was trying to play this off, when it really _shouldn’t be played off._ “I’m fine.”

“A twisted ankle is not _fine_.” At which point Roman got a shrug in response, watching as the other hobbled his way over to the small couch in their living room and sat down, before bringing his ankle up to really inspect it. Sighing, he pursed his lips. “Do we have any bandages?”

“Probably.” Pressing against a tender spot, Virgil hissed before massaging at the swollen skin.

Moving on, Roman knew that they had some stored away, it was just a matter of finding it. He was also fairly sure that they had some tape around here as well, but that he was less confident about.

Everyone had slip ups, he guessed.

Pushing into the washroom, he began to rummage through a bin of medical supplies to try and find something that would at least help ease the damage that had been done. When he came up empty handed, save for a few pieces of ripped tape, he slumped back onto his heels. So, they were out of bandages and tape. Great. That meant he needed to take a trip out into the apartment and see if he could scrounge something up.

It wasn’t a problem, but he also really didn’t want to see Logan or Patton. While, that deal had been made those few weeks ago, they hadn’t revealed themselves since. He was silently hoping that the humans’ thought he and Virgil had up and left the apartment building altogether.

It was a long shot, but he could hope.

That said, he and his partner _had_ thought about leaving the first couple of days after they had been let go. Virgil had told him that packing and leaving would be their best bet and it would have certainly kept them from being caught again. Roman, on the other hand, had said otherwise. Moving as a borrower could take honest weeks, especially if they wanted to go somewhere far away from here. That also didn’t include the fact that they would have to carry everything that they wanted to bring along. To shorten the story, moving isn’t impossible for someone of their size, but it is difficult.

“Great,” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. He let his head tilt to the side, just staring at the wall blankly for a moment. The last thing he wanted was to go out in the apartment while both humans were still around, but there was no choice.

If they didn’t put pressure on the swollen parts of Virgil’s ankle, it could permanently stay swelled. Or so he had heard from his anxious roommate.

Pushing himself into a stand, he dipped into his bedroom before grabbing his bag and slipping it over his shoulders and securing it there. One hand around the strap, Roman re-entered the living room and went straight for the front door.

“We’re out of bandages and tape,” he called over his shoulder as an explanation to the curious look shot his way. “I’m going to make a trip out into the apartment and get some. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Alright,” came the response back, “but—”

“I’ll be quick, Panic at the Everywhere, don’t fret,” Roman opened the door, and was halfway out before speaking again. “Keep pressure on your ankle and you’ll be fine.”

Then the door shut before he could hear a response.

The passageway itself was a bit dark and musty for his taste, but when you lived just over three inches tall, you didn’t really have the best choices for where you got to live. The house they had made themselves was buried deep into the walls of the apartment building. It was a cozy spot. They didn’t really have to worry about freezing in the winter, or overheating in the summer. While scarce food and bugs and rats and everything else that outmatched them was a danger, there was nothing wrong with being okay with their lives.

Sure, being caught had been traumatizing, but it was nothing they couldn’t get past. It would take a bit, but it wouldn’t take forever, that much they both knew.

Continuing on in silence, Roman hopped up onto a ledge that led to the back of the power outlet in the washroom. If he could get into the bathroom cupboard, he was sure there would be bandages in there. Who didn’t keep that stuff behind the mirror?

Pushing open said outlet, he checked to make sure the coast was clear before dropping the last inch down onto the ceramic sink.

He grasped for the hook around his waist and unfolded all of the wires and mess of string, before grabbing the fishhook right at the base. The cool metal touched his fingertips as he glanced up. _Way up._ Winding it up for a moment, he let it go and it had nearly caught on the handle of the mirror.

The hook clinked back down in front of him.

After a couple more minutes of trial and error, the borrower had finally managed to land a hold and he was dragging himself upwards.

Getting the cupboard open itself also took a couple more minutes of trial and error, but before long, he was standing among the rows and rows of bottles and neatened capsules and such. Most of the containers stood over him, a startling reminder of just how small he was compared to the rest of the world. It certainly wasn’t a place made for his kind.

Shaking it off, Roman tallied off the things that were in here.

_Medicine. Tablets. Tape. Pins. Safety pins. Bandages. Pills._

_Oh. Wait._

He let his attention shift onto the box of bandages and he looked it up and down, furrowing his brows. God, everyday tasks were too much work.

Roman knew that he’d need to push the box over, there was no way he would be able to get anything out without doing that. Placing his hands against the box, he tested the weight for a moment before deeming he would probably have to take a running start at it. It was like the whole jar incident again, however this time, someone’s life wasn’t on the line.

After a moment of preparing, he took some steps backwards and crouched down. One breath in and one breath out, and it took nothing before he had managed to knock the box over. It was a bit lighter than he had originally anticipated, but with the box now on its side, he had much more of a chance of actually being able to get something out of the box itself.

Just as he had gotten into the top, the sound of the washroom door opening and closing caught his attention.

Roman’s first reaction was to try and duck behind something, and the first thing that he saw was a bottle of some sort of pills. Medication, he guessed. Scrambling to hide himself, as the last thing he really wanted was to be seen again, he tucked his knees into his chest and listened quietly.

There was a gentle humming, so he could only assume it was Patton, as Logan really didn’t seem very musical. Then there was rustling and the box of bandages was being pulled out.

He was pretty much stuck in here until Patton left, so he might as well—

“Long time no see,” the cheery voice prodded him, and Roman’s heart rate spiked. Had he been spotted already? He thought his hiding place had been at least somewhat adequate! When there was a pause, he decided that pretending he wasn’t there would prove fruitless.

Though, when he did peer out, Patton wasn’t looking at him, he was instead preoccupied with the cut on his finger.

“I didn’t mean to spook you,” he grinned, eyes flickering up for just a moment, a spark of happiness caught Roman by surprise. Just like that, his attention was elsewhere. “And I certainly didn’t expect to find you in here of all places.”

Roman swallowed down his nerves and pulled himself into a stand. “How did you know?”

“Well, the cabinet door was open, for one,” Patton told him, tearing open the band-aid before concentrating just enough to get it on right. “And then you left your little hook and rope dangling on the outside of it. I had a feeling it was either you or your friend again.” After finishing with his task, his brown eyes were once again focused on Roman, though this time, the borrower didn’t feel nearly as intimidated. “Anyways, I guess you guys have been pretty busy. A part of me thought you had left since we hadn’t seen you in a while. I’m glad you’re still here though! You’re … doing okay, right?”

Okay, that sort of concern coming from a source so big was a bit off putting, but not terrible. “Uh, yeah. We’re doing okay. I just came for some bandages, if that’s alright?”

Roman didn’t miss the flash of concern in those deep brown pools. In fact, it was impossible to miss any sort of emotion on his features.

Though, Patton’s smile returned quickly. “Of course it is, I’m sure Lo and I wouldn’t miss a few things missing. Especially if it’s helping you both.” He settled the box on its side with the lid open this time. There was a heartbeat of silence. “Can I ask what happened?”

As the borrower busied himself with getting a bandage, he also managed to spot a roll of gauze in the corner of the cabinet, which, admittedly, would have been a much easier and faster choice to go for. At least that way he wouldn’t have had to face Patton down in another conversation when he was least prepared. “Virgil said he fell and twisted his ankle,” he spoke up, getting down onto his knees and pulling out two band-aids, before rolling them and stuffing them both into his bag as best as he could. “Told me it won’t keep him down for long, but he and I both know he’s not going to be moving much.”

It took Roman half a moment to realize that he had used Virgil’s name in open conversation without really thinking about it. His startled gaze went right back to Patton, but said human didn’t seem to be too worked up with the name revelation.

“Is he alright?” He asked instead, trying to ignore the terrified look on Roman’s face, “how did it happen?”

“Told me he got his ankle caught in the wire when he slipped,” Roman shrugged, trying to play off the situation at hand. “He’ll be fine in a couple of days or so if given the proper rest and treatment, y’know?”

“Yeah,” came the softer reply.

Roman shuffled awkwardly on his feet before nodding his head finally. “Well, I, uh, I should probably get this stuff back home. It was … nice talking to you again.”

“Before you go, do you maybe, want some help out of the cabinet? I mean, I’m right here and it would be no trouble at all, really.” The offer was generous, but it made him nervous. He had already had too many troubles with humans and their hands. “I mean, it’s totally okay if you don’t want to. I understand completely, I just thought that, you know, I’m right here, it would save you some time too.”

God, it was hard to say ‘no’ to him, and that was awful. Even admitting it to himself. It seemed that Patton really did just want to help. Why? Roman wasn’t entirely sure, but the help was appreciated, he guessed.

He let his hand move to grasp the strap of his bag before he rocked back and forth on his feet. “Sure,” he finally relented, and seeing that beaming smile cross the human’s face almost made all of his worries melt away completely.

How could one person make him feel so at home? It was bizarre.

Sure, he felt that way when he was around Virgil, but that was because they had almost grown up together. Because they were the same thing. To feel nearly the same thing while around a human? That had to take some sort of talent.

He was nearly startled from his thoughts when he remembered exactly what he had just agreed to, and when Roman saw the hand raised in front of him, he felt the urge to back away.

Though, he did take a step back on instinct, he paused, recollected himself and instead stepped forwards after a brief moment of hesitance.

“As long as this isn’t hindering you from anything important,” he spoke up, which made the other male’s grin widen a bit.

“Not at all! I came in here to get a band-aid, didn’t really have anything else in mind.”

When Roman had finally mustered up enough courage, noticing just how much patience Patton was giving him, he stepped forwards and climbed onto the hand being offered out to him.

It was certainly odd, and if Virgil were to see him now, he’d probably throttle him. Not that he could blame the other borrower, he was always so careful, it did make him wonder how he had gotten hurt in the first place. The fact that he had twisted his ankle made sense, but Virgil always triple checked everything before following through with a plan.

Roman’s stomach dropped as the hand moved underneath him, though it was relatively slowly, he still hadn’t of been expecting it at that time. He dropped to a crouch to keep his balance. “What did you do?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Cut myself on some broken glass,” he said nonchalantly. “It wasn’t that bad, but the bleeding didn’t want to stop.”

“Broken glass?”

“Yep. That jar that Logan had your friend trapped in smashed this morning and I only just had the time to clean it up. You didn’t hear the commotion?”

Then it clicked together in his head. That was probably how Virgil had slipped up. Either he had knocked the jar off of its perch and it shattered and surprised him, or it had happened out of no where and while the latter was out borrowing, the smashing glass had startled him so badly, he slipped up.

Well, at least the injury made a bit more sense now. Not that he ever doubted his friend’s ability to be out on his own, but he did sometimes worry more than necessary.

“Uh no, but it’s that’s good that it wasn’t all that bad,” Roman spoke up, watching as the sink got closer. “It’s always a pity when you get a cut, right?” Though, it was certainly easier for a human to patch themselves up, than it was a borrower. Humans always had their resources in the palm of their hand, while his kind needed to scrounge and use things wisely.

After the movement had stopped, Roman allowed himself the chance to get off of the hand and stand a bit more openly on the sink itself.

“Thanks,” he called up finally, unable to handle the silence any longer. “I appreciate the help.” Though, a quick reminder and he remembered he still needed to get his climbing rope down. “Just— just one more thing? I promise that’s it.”

“I don’t mind helping,” Patton told him, seeming genuine in the remark. “What do you need?”

Roman pointed upwards towards where the hook was lodged. “If you could just untangle it, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Yes, he was fully capable of getting it down himself, but a part of him still wanted to see if the human was trustworthy.

After being told what was needed, Patton did as directed and was able to unhook the little line without a hitch in the plan. He then settled it down in front of the borrower. “Glad I could help you out a bit,” he told him, before stepping away from the washroom sink, as if to give him space as well. “It was nice seeing you again, too. I’m glad to hear you and your friend are doing alright.” As Roman wound up his line and tucked it into his bag as well, he heard a small intake of breath as well. “I don’t think we’ve actually ever been properly introduced.”

“I suppose not,” Roman agreed, tucking his hands into his pockets and straightening out his shoulders. He would be lying if he said he didn’t know both the humans’ names, but it would be rude to say that right out. “Though, having my friend trapped in a jar and then bargaining wasn’t really the best grounds for a name exchange.”

At that reminder, Patton seemed to wince a little. “Yeah.” He took a moment. “I have a feeling you already know this, but I’m Patton. My roommate’s Logan.”

The male smiled gently, nodding his head. Yeah, he knew that already. Though, it seemed as if it were his turn to speak. “I’m, uh, I’m Roman,” he dipped his head into a respectful nod. “I’ve already slipped up with my partner’s name, and hopefully he doesn’t kill me for telling you, but he’s Virgil.”

Seeing such a blinding grin on Patton’s face was heartwarming. “Well, it’s a pleasure, Roman. I’ll let you get back to doing what you were doing. I hope you and Virgil keep doing okay.” The human turned to leave, before he seemed to think better of it. He turned to face Roman once more. “And I just want you to know, that if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can always come to me, okay?”

Okay, Roman really couldn’t help but smile genuinely at that. “Thanks.”

Without another word, Patton left the washroom, closing the door behind him and leaving Roman alone with his thoughts once more.

_Oh my God. That happened._

Without wasting another second, he moved to the outlet before pulling it open and slipping through. As it clicked shut silently behind him, there was no evidence that he had even been there.

Virgil was going to freak when he told him what happened.

——————

_Breathe. Breathe. Oh my God, just breathe._

He couldn’t believe it. He had managed to get himself stuck again, though this time was more irreversible when he was by himself. He needed help and there was no one around that he could get _to_ help.

_This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening right now._

Virgil had already hurt himself once getting out of a mess like this. This was certainly the last situation he wanted to find himself in. Especially since his current position was right in plain sight if one of the humans were to come in.

From what he knew, Logan was busy in his room doing homework, or whatever it was that he did, and Patton was still at work.

He had slipped up _again_. Roman was never going to let him live this down if he even felt like sharing the news, but right now, he was too overwhelmed with the terror of being found so vulnerable. The way that the rope was caught around his torso had caught up his left arm and if he moved too much in one direction, it pulled painfully. He needed assistance getting out.

This was one of the few times he had wished he’d asked Roman to come along with him. At least that way he wouldn’t have gotten into this situation in the first place.

With his heart pounding loudly in his chest, Virgil had to fight to keep his breathing still. It was starting to get erratic and there was nothing comforting enough to keep him grounded in the fact that he was relatively unharmed by this point.

He just needed a gentle nudge out of the stupid rope and he would be fine. Yeah. Yeah, he’d be fine.

_There’s no way to get out of this if you don’t have help. You’ll be found and then you’re going to be stuck in that jar again. You’re trapped._

“C’mon,” he grunted, trying to pull his left arm free again, this time managing to pull it harder and feeling the tug in his shoulder. He winced. Okay, so that didn’t work.

Shouting was no use. Squirming was no use. Reaching for his bag was no use.

He was a sitting duck. Or something close to it.

_This is fine. This is totally fine. This all okay._

Those were the thoughts that really didn’t help in a time like this. Sure, they were trying to be reassuring, but Virgil could only hear them in a sarcastic tone. There was no getting out of the situation he was in, which sent panic deeper into his chest and nearly constricted his breathing instantly.

The sound of a door opening somewhere in the apartment echoed and his heart rate spiked instantly.

Great, his luck was getting even worse.

Holding still and holding his breath, a part of Virgil was hoping that Logan was bringing a textbook out with him, which would hold the human’s entire attention. He had a feeling that was unlikely, but he could always hope, right?

As if fate thought that this was some cruel joke, the first thing that had happened when Logan entered the living room was the sound of a startled gasp. It made Virgil’s stomach turn with unease.

It was easier not holding the man’s attention, but it was also driving his fear crazy when he couldn’t pinpoint where in the room Logan exactly was, so, Virgil turned his head to look over his shoulder and he could see the startled reaction behind those black glasses.

His heart leaped into his throat and his eyes widened almost to match that of the human’s.

Even after a couple weeks of staying out of sight—and hopefully out of mind by that point—here he was, facing the very person down that he wanted to see the least right now. If he had gotten lucky, it would have been Patton coming home, but, fate was cruel like that.

“Uh, greetings,” Logan finally broke the silence and it startled Virgil out of their unintentional staring contest.

He opened his mouth to say something, before thinking better of it and staying silent. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he could swear that the world was getting darker. As if he had forgotten to breathe at this point, now he was breathing too fast. His mind was running rampant with things that could happen to him. He was face to face with Logan again. The same person that had stuck him into a jar out of pure curiosity. The man that wouldn’t have let him go if it weren’t for Patton stepping in.

He couldn’t do this right now. He really _could not_ do this.

Virgil gasped for air, before squeezing his eyes shut. _Think. Think, c’mon, this isn’t how you want to go out. If you’re going to be caught again, please God, let him be gentle with it._

It took a moment of just watching, but it didn’t take long for Logan to realize that the tiny being was succumbing to an anxiety attack. He wasn’t entirely sure how to approach the subject, but he needed to do _something_.

This … wasn’t really the reaction he had anticipated when it came to seeing the creatures again. Though, he wasn’t necessarily surprised by the fact either.

Though, he did know that going through a panic attack by one’s self may cause more harm than good. His eyes scanned the living room, as if he was searching for a better way to help the tiny male, but there seemed to be only one way. It wouldn’t be ideal, but he had to do what he had to do.

Running over the ways to comfort someone currently going through an attack, he needed to make his approach slow. How was he going to address this without causing more panic? Yet another thing he wasn’t really sure how to do. It wasn’t that he _couldn’t_ do it, but if being in the same room as the creature elicited this response, then how was speaking to him in the middle of a frenzy going to help?

Logan could understand the fear, but he was never good at being reassuring to someone of his own size, nevertheless someone that would be able to sit in the palm of his hands. Patton was much better at reading someone’s emotions and then matching that emotion, or assisting them through it. He also realized that the being seemed to be trapped.

The rope around his chest could possibly be constricting and keeping air from getting fully into his lungs, allowing for the panic attack to be prolonged. He saw the makeshift cast on the one leg as well, showing that he was still injured, and yet his arm was in a position that if he wasn’t released carefully, could be twisted enough to break or sprain.

This was going to have to be a careful operation then, it seemed.

Virgil could hear the footsteps approaching him just over the sound of blood rushing in his ears. No. No, he couldn’t let himself go right now. He couldn’t. He had to get through this.

But from here, it seemed that it wouldn’t end.

“—you can try and steady your breathing—”

_No. No. Leave me alone. I don’t want to be trapped again. Please. Not again._

“—sten to my voice. I’m not going to touch you—”

_Dear God, you better not touch me. I can’t. I can’t do this. It hurts. Breathing hurts._

When Logan wasn’t getting much of a reaction, except for watching him curl further in on himself, he needed to try something else. But what? What could he possibly do?

Touching someone in the middle of an anxiety attack could cause a very bad reaction and then putting that in the fact that the male probably didn’t like him very much would make it worse. On the other hand, if you do touch someone during their attack, the grounding feeling of having someone else there can allow for the person to calm themselves when given the time to do so.

Adding that _on top_ of the three facts that the tiny being didn’t like him, was terrified out of his mind, currently tangled up and completely stuck, well, it made Logan’s job harder than it need be.

_Oh God. Am I dead? Is it over yet?_

The sudden feeling of warmth surrounding him made Virgil jolt in surprise, his eyes shooting wide open as he swung the rope back and forth on accident, trying to escape the uncomfortable feeling. Instead, he heard a brief apology and then it hit him like a train what was happening.

He was being manhandled without his permission. He wasn’t sure what fact made his anxiety worsen; the fact that the warmth was somewhat soothing or that he was going to be held completely at Logan’s mercy within the next few seconds.

“It’s alright,” he was trying to be as reassuring as he could be, but the way those tiny brown eyes were looking up at him—or more so the fact that they were trying to _avoid_ looking at him—set something hard and uncomfortable in his chest. “You’re safe.”

Were reassurances even doing anything to ease him? Though, he lifted one hand completely under the being, he used his free hand to unhook the small hook from it’s position and let it dangle over the side of his hand instead. He wasn’t going to bother trying to untie him, knowing that would be a bad idea. The creature was small enough as it was and he really didn’t want to risk hurting it more than it already seemed to be.

So, he would stay level about this. “Can you breathe?”

Obviously his voice had startled him, so he lowered his tone a bit more, but waited for at least something that resembled an answer. It took a moment, but he saw the tiniest shake of the head.

“That’s fine,” Logan told him, eyes moving from the tiny heaving form currently cupped in his palms, to the rest of the room. Was there anything he could possibly use, or was this all on him? When he came up with nothing, he knew what he had to do. He had never had to personally sit through a panic attack with someone before, but he knew how to treat it. Logic could usually keep someone grounded in reality. However, he also knew that could be considered overwhelming to someone that wasn’t in the middle of an attack either. “I want you to take a breath in for seven seconds. Hold for seven seconds and then release for seven seconds. Can you do that?”

Virgil didn’t know what Logan was doing, but it wasn’t making his attack worse.

_I don’t understand. Why are you helping me? What are you doing? Why won’t you just leave me alone? Is this some cruel trick? This isn’t funny. I don’t understand!_

Though, the advice seemed sound enough, so, after a few minutes of struggling to right his breathing, Virgil managed to take a breath in, before holding it and releasing it silently.

“Good,” the praise was sudden, but not unwelcome, and now it seemed they were actually getting somewhere. “Can you do that again?” The motion was repeated and Logan was satisfied to see that he was getting better. When he no longer seemed to be breathing nearly as hard, he spoke up. “How do you feel?”

It took Virgil a moment to reorganize his thoughts. To reconnect where exactly he was. Even though he was no longer having a breakdown, the fact that he was still somewhat tied up _and_ being held by a human, wasn’t making him feel any better. Though, when he looked upwards, the large brown eyes were focused down on him. He almost felt intimidated into answering.

How did he feel? Exhausted, honestly. Emotionally drained, but was coming clean about that really a good idea? “Tired,” was the only word that he allowed himself to answer with.

“I expected that much,” though it was said aloud, Logan was almost talking to himself with it. His tone was considerably gentler though. “Are you alright?”

“I-I think so?” It was almost a question. A part of him said he was totally fine and unharmed, save for the twisted ankle that was almost completely healed by this time. As he unraveled himself from the string, the tension from his wrist and shoulder was released and he was able to find some comfort in the fact that nothing was broken or sprained.

The fact that he was sitting so openly on a human’s palm was bewildering, and a part of him acknowledged the fact that Logan had stayed true to his word. He really hadn’t been hurt. Even if it was a terrifying position to find himself in.

Logan seemed to take that information well. “Good,” was what was said. There seemed to be more hidden behind the word, but all Virgil could think about was the amount of heat that he could feel radiating from the skin beneath him.

It was … uncomfortable.

——————

A couple months had passed from there. The interactions had become a bit more usual, especially between Roman and Patton.

More often than not, Virgil would catch Roman leaving the house and heading off to spend time with the human whenever he was around, or wasn’t busy.

It bothered him a little bit, but, a part of him really couldn’t say too much either. There had been times where he escaped from Roman’s boisterous personality and went to sit with Logan while he did his studies. He was quieter, easier to handle, and the conversations they held were paced. They also didn’t seem very forced.

Sure, he still had his fears about the differences in sizes between them, but other than that, it almost felt normal.

The initial encounter between them all had been less than ideal, sure, but Virgil had realized, admittedly later than Roman, that Logan and Patton really weren’t out to get them. That point had been driven home when Logan had found him in the midst of a panic attack and instead of using that advantage against him, had instead helped him through it.

“It’s movie night, tonight,” Roman chirped, plopping down onto the makeshift couch they had in their home, seated almost right against Virgil as he stitched up a tear in his hoodie.

“I don’t see how that has anything to do with me,” he remarked instead, pulling the thread through and finally bringing the tear to a close. His handiwork wasn’t exactly pretty, but it was functional and that was all that really mattered.

Roman rolled his eyes, before adjusting himself on the couch and tossing his legs up onto the edge of it, before laying his head in Virgil’s lap and looking up to him, big brown eyes looking pleading. “Come on. You’re always invited too, you just never come. Every time I tell Patton you’re not coming because you have other things to do, he always looks so sad.”

Virgil felt a pang at that, but shook it off without letting it show.

When he wasn’t answered, the prince shifted his head a little bit and took the thread and needle from the other borrower’s hands and resting them to the side, before folding his hands over his stomach. “Don’t be like this, Virge. I know you like Disney movies too, there’s no shame in wanting to watch one with everyone.”

He knew there was no shame in it, but he always knew that there was something negative about Disney movies. Not that he didn’t enjoy them, but it was easy to pick out the flaws in the characters or the plots. It was hard to sit back and let them enjoy the magic of it when all he did was bring the mood down.

He smiled stiffly. “You go have fun, Princey,” he remarked, moving to get up, when Roman held him in place.

“Not so fast.” The tone was surprisingly stern for someone that was almost never serious. “What’s this all really about? This can’t be because you don’t like movies. You and I both know that’s not true.”

He was being pinned with a look and he hated the guilt it made him feel. Every time he skipped out on these movie nights, he always made up some excuse not to go. “You guys always have more fun without me anyways,” he said with a shrug, as if it wasn’t self-deprecating.

Roman heard that loud and clear. Even as he was pushed off and instead sat up on the couch, turning to look over his shoulder as Virgil gathered up his hoodie, thread and needle before disappearing down the hallway.

The sound of a door shutting told him that he was going to keep himself locked in his room for the rest of the night. Not that he was going to let his friend do that, but he blanched for the moment on how to convince him to come out.

Sure, Roman knew that Virgil would think lowly of himself, but he didn’t think he would ever think _that_ lowly of himself.

Righting himself on the couch, he thought for a moment. What would be the best way to get Virgil to come and join them for at least one night? He knew it wasn’t a fear of Patton or Logan anymore, they’d come pretty far from those days — even if there was that underlying wariness of humans, as that had been driven into them since they were kids. Maybe it was something more personal than that? He also knew that Virgil had a tendency to bottle things up inside of him until it all came out in one big breakdown.

A tapping on the wall caught his attention and Roman hesitated. For one, he wanted to explain to the humans what was going on, but another part of him knew that if he explained afterwards, that would work as well.

Getting up from the couch, he straightened out his shirt before moving down the hallway and knocking on Virgil’s door. “Why don’t you just come tonight, okay?” He called through the card separating them. “Then I won’t bother you about coming again.”

Looking up from the final stitch on his hoodie, Virgil’s eyes locked onto the bedroom door. He did feel bad about constantly having to let Patton down. The dull ache in his chest was telling him that he owed them at least one night that he attended, and then he didn’t have to go again if he chose not to.

“Please?” Roman’s voice was muffled slightly. “If it gets too overwhelming, no one is going to make you stay. If you want to leave right after you get there too, I won’t say anything. I promise.”

Now that was tempting. He could show up, come up with an excuse as to why he can’t hang around and then come back to the solitary safety of his bedroom.

He was being offered a way out by someone that knew how his anxiety could get the better of him. Especially during social situations where he doesn’t want to be in involved. Having the chance to escape back to some place that he knew like the back of his hand, as well as place where he would be able to control himself and calm himself down if something did happen, was comforting in itself.

If he was being honest, Virgil didn’t really have a reason _not_ to go. Save for his crippling social anxiety.

He had finished patching his jacket up, so he couldn’t use that as an excuse at the moment, but the sigh that finally escaped him was telling. “Alright,” Virgil finally relented, before using his teeth to snap the thread. “I’ll come.”

Slipping the jacket on over his shoulders, he fixed the cuffs over his hands and opened the door.

The beaming look that he was getting from Roman was almost too overwhelming in itself. “Great. We’ve already been beckoned, let’s go.”

_Oh what am I getting myself into?_

In all reality, as soon as they had left the small home, his heart had already started to pound in his chest. It was easy to forget how to breathe when the only thing your brain was focused on how terrifying this whole thing could end up being. What was the movie? Would it be loud? Horror? Were they _actually_ watching a Disney movie or was that just a lure to get him to come out and watch?

Of course, these thoughts were irrational, but he couldn’t help the fact that he was still nervous. The jacket he was wearing was suddenly getting a bit too warm.

The hand on his upper arm was firm in the reassuring sort of way, but not in the way that said Roman would drag him behind if Virgil started to fight this.

Though, his movements seemed to be more noticeable than he had thought at first. Roman had stopped abruptly and Virgil had been too lost in thought that he ran smack into the back of his friend. He took a step back to reorient himself, but his brows furrowed in confusion.

“If you’re really that nervous, you don’t have to come,” Roman told him, a gentleness showing through his words. “Really. They’ll understand if I tell them you got nervous.”

“I don’t want pity,” Virgil responded, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. “I can do this. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine if the only thing you can focus on is everything that could go wrong.”

That stopped him cold. It was the only thing Virgil was good at. Laying out the cons of the situation, while Roman would always focus on the pros. His attention was startled as he looked up back to the taller borrower, and seeing that—that _pity_ smile.

When he had tried to pull his arm away, Roman’s hand tightened and he raised another hand to rest on Virgil’s shoulder. “No one is going to blame you. It’s okay if this is too much.”

“Why does that matter all of a sudden?” He shot back, but the feeling of despair was clawing at him. The cold talons trying to find a sharp hold to sink in. “A moment ago you were all gung-ho about me finally coming along. I thought that—”

“You’re thinking about this too much,” Roman cut him off, allowing his hold to soften, but he kept his hands there for a grounding touch, “when you overthink, you doubt yourself and you think of yourself as someone that doesn’t deserve to have people care about you. I hate to burst that bubble of self-pity, well not really, but you’re a lot better a person than you tell yourself.” Roman watched as the emotion was building behind his eyes. “You deserve a heck of a lot more than what I can do for you. So.” There was a brief pause, waiting to see if the latter would speak and he was instead answered with silence. “If you feel okay coming tonight, I’ll stay right by your side if that’s what you need. If you decide that you’re not okay with this, no one’s going to be mad.”

Virgil’s eyes dropped to the floor, unable to hold that caring look anymore and his shoulders slumped. “You know I hate this sappy stuff …” Roman chuckled lightly at that, but he didn’t have the chance to speak. “I can do it, I can. It’s just … what if something _does_ go wrong?”

“If something does go wrong, you won’t be alone to figure a way out of it,” he was assured. “I’m not going to leave you.” His friend’s head tilted back upwards and Roman offered an understanding grin. “C’mon. They’re waiting on us.”

Virgil took a moment to steady his breathing, before nodding his head. “Okay.”

Though he tucked his hands into his pockets and kept his head down, there was something other than fear in his chest. There was a feeling of lightheartedness. Was he still nervous? Of course, but everything could be a little nerve-wracking. He had to reason with himself that a movie night really wasn’t that big of a deal. Not when he had gone to sit with Logan one-on-one. That should have been a bigger deal than this.

Maybe it was the fact that when he was with Logan, it was more condensed. More of a controlled interaction. Everything was sort of predictable. With Patton and Roman around, especially around each other, things could get loud and out of hand. While when it was just him and the other, it was quiet and relaxed.

Maybe that’s what was worrying him the most.

Following Roman around a dip in the passage, the latter lead the way and pushed open a hidden door that was just beside the lamp that stood beside the couch.

For a moment, Virgil thought they would get off easy, without being noticed right away, but it seemed that he had spoken too soon.

“There you guys are,” Patton greeted with a grin. “Thought you decided to skip out tonight.” It was well-meaning. “It’s good to see you Virgil. I’m glad you could join us tonight too.”

He shrunk a bit back into the safety of his hoodie, before craning his neck backwards and offering a hesitant grin. “Thought I’d come and join in on the fun.”

“Well it’s good to have you. We were just setting up and I’ve been trying to convince Logan to come too, but he says he’s too busy with this project that’s due next Thursday. It’s _Monday_ today. He’s a workaholic, that one. Anyways, maybe either of you could get him to listen.”

Roman nodded in turn, before patting Virgil on the back. “Virge, here, would love to help with that.” He was met with a seething glare from behind his bangs, but nothing was said.

Patton lit up at that and crouched down, offering an open hand to the both of them.“Great! I’m sure you’ll be able to talk some sense into him. He hardly listens to me when he’s so enveloped into his work. He’s going to work himself to death one day.”

While Roman was much less hesitant to take the human up when it came to climbing into his hand, Virgil stayed back for a moment, looking uneasy and unsure. It was a large trust thing, but it was also the fact that the last time he had been held, well, it wasn’t by choice. Whenever he dropped into Logan’s room, the two refrained from touching each other. It was more of a mutual respect level and an understanding that physical touch wasn’t exactly necessary for a friendship.

The last time he had been held was unwillingly, when Logan had gotten him untangled from the mess he had found himself in those weeks ago. It was still kind of hard to believe it had been that long since those incidents.

It was also kind of difficult to remember that he had created—what someone else would call—a ‘friendship’ with a human, which had certainly been the last thing he had ever expected, especially from himself.

The hesitant moment seemed to grow, and he heard Roman clear his throat, gaining his attention and Virgil looked up. “Any day now, Marilyn Morose,” he waved his hand towards himself, almost beckoning.

“It’s okay if you’re nervous, kiddo,” Patton spoke up instead, drawing Virgil’s attention even a bit higher. “I understand and I don’t mind. I know that being around Logan or I can be frightening.”

“But you don’t have anything to worry about,” Roman piped up after that, holding his hand out. “C’mon. I’ll be right here with you.”

“I’m not a child, Roman, I don’t need to hold your hand,” he grumbled. He stepped forwards, after another second of hesitance, and reached out, grabbing a hold of Roman’s hand and hefting himself up onto the waiting palm. As much as he grouched about these things, it did mean a lot to know that he wouldn’t be left to face things by himself. “But thanks.”

He dropped down to a sit and crossed his legs, staying tucked down into his sweater. It was the safest place he knew, even when he wasn’t in a particularly safe environment. Though, with the sort of trust that Roman was so easily giving to Patton, he had to assume that he wasn’t exactly in danger.

Though, there wasn’t really anything he could say to himself to actually convince him that.

Seemed those borrower instincts would be engraved into him forever. Though, he didn’t really know how much of that self-preservation was what he had been taught and what was his own imagination working unhelpful wonders.

The silence that held wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was maybe uneasy just from his side of things. So, when Roman and Patton finally did start engaging in conversation, he zoned out and allowed them to talk, just the two of them. If he didn’t know any better, it seemed that they were starting to become a lot closer.

“Hey.” Virgil startled from his thoughts when he felt Roman nudge him in the side. He turned to look at him. “You doing okay?”

The feeling of two pairs of eyes on him, the larger ones and his friend’s, was unnerving. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” The smile he offered was tight and somewhat forced. “Just got lost in thought is all.”

“Alright,” Roman nodded, “as long as you’re sure.”

His smile turned a bit more genuine. “I’m sure.”

The quiet was held from there, before it was broken for a third time. “Are you okay with talking to Logan? If you’re not—”

“It’s fine,” Virgil cut Patton off, lifting a hand for a moment, before tucking it back into his pocket. “I really don’t mind.”

Patton dipped his head into a nod, offering a kind smile, before knocking on the bedroom door that was currently closed.

“I’ve already said, Patton, I’ve got too much work to get done,” Logan’s voice came from inside, and Virgil blinked. He had forgotten how quickly a human can clear the distance between rooms. “I can’t take a break tonight.”

“I know,” the voice rumbled through his chest and he watched as the door creaked open for a moment. “I just wanted to check on you, see if you were overworking yourself.”

As the door opened, they noticed that Logan hadn’t even turned to look their direction.

His heart rate spiked, but instead, Virgil sat up a bit straighter. “I hope you don’t mind if I come and join you for a bit, then.” He was really hoping that his voice had been loud enough to carry.

The sudden tense in his shoulders did say that he had heard him. It took a moment, but black rimmed glasses were turning to look at him, surprise etched across his features. “If you’d like to,” he nodded his head. “I can’t say how interesting sitting with me will be, however.”

“I don’t mind,” he spoke up again, watching the other nod his head just enough.

Logan was honestly rather surprised, as he watched Patton approach, that Virgil had even allowed himself to be held so willingly. He hadn’t expected Virgil to even come to movie night tonight anyways. He always tried to avoid it, and honestly, so did Logan. Only because he could be using his focus on something more important than a movie.

It was time that he would never get back.

The hand lowered to his desk and Virgil hopped off after a moment. He adjusted his hoodie and kept his hands tucked into his pockets, though, his shoulders weren’t as hunched as before. “Thanks Pat,” he called up over his shoulder.

The nickname had come out of nowhere, but the grin that he got in return said that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Which was a relief.

Swallowing down his nerves, the two of them slipped back out of the room and the door shut again.

Logan’s attention once again shifted back to his laptop and Virgil’s eyes followed as well. The words on the screen made sense, but he didn’t understand the importance.

“What’re you working on?” He was curious, honestly, and as he cautiously stepped a bit closer to the laptop itself, and he tilted his head just enough to see the underside of Logan’s jaw.

“An essay due in class next week,” he answered without looking away from the page.

Virgil could understand that getting it done early was good, but there was always the question of how long had he been working on this. “So, why are you working on it so early?”

His eyes flickered down for a moment, before adjusting his glasses subconsciously and getting back to work. “The earlier I have it done, the more prepared I’ll be for editing later.”

Virgil nodded his head. “It’s due next Thursday, right?” He was answered with a silent nod. “And it’s only Monday today.” Logan’s typing paused and his brown eyes focused downwards again. Virgil felt heat creeping back up into his cheeks again. “Why don’t you take a break?”

“That time could be used getting work done,” Logan wasn’t getting defensive, just stating facts.

“I get it,” the borrower said, a small grin being offered up and showing that he really did understand. “Getting stuff done as soon as possible is ideal. I do it all the time back home. Sometimes I think I’m a bit over-prepared.” He chuckled lightly. “I know I’m not usually one for movie nights, but, I think it would be nice. You know?”

Logan’s eyes flickered between the laptop he had set up and the borrower standing on his desk. It did make sense and overworking himself wouldn’t allow him to function at his best. He could also take the time not doing work to get some outlining for the essay itself done.

A heartbeat of silence followed before he let out a small breath. “Alright,” he relented. “I can see your reasoning. Though, I must ask. Did they set you up to try and convince me to come out?”

Virgil snorted, before shrugging his shoulders. “At first, yeah. But I also knew that having you out there would make it a tad more bearable for me as well. I can only handle Roman belting out Disney songs by myself for so long.”

He honestly felt sort of accomplished when he saw the small grin cross Logan’s features.

A while ago, the quiet between them might have been uncomfortable, but now. Now it felt alright. The laughter from the living room did make it feel a bit more lively.

“Do you know what we’re watching tonight?” Virgil had been given no clues about what the plan was.

Shutting the laptop, Logan lent back in the chair. “I was told that it was going to be _Beauty and the Beast_.”

“Great,” the borrower rolled his eyes, finally allowing himself to relax and take a seat on the desk, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. “Isn’t that movie about Stockholm syndrome?”

To say that Logan was impressed with that knowledge would be an understatement. “So I’ve heard.”

“It’s literally about a girl that trades her life for her father’s and then falls in love with her captor. That doesn’t sound odd?”

“I agree. It’s a rather odd topic to base a movie on, but I’m sure either Patton or Roman would have something positive to say about it, trying to refute the obvious, glaring plot-holes and such.”

This was why he enjoyed talking with Logan. They could both delve into something deeper than just surface conversation. He had done this stuff with Roman countless times, especially staying up way into the night talking about nothing or even the existential crisis of existence, but the moments like this were nice as well. Being able to laugh and agree on points of story-plot that may would be difficult to get away with nowadays.

“Thank you,” Virgil said, “finally someone else that agrees. Roman and I have spent hours debating Disney movies. It’s difficult finding common ground with someone that lives and breathes those movies.”

They spent a bit longer in idle chatter. Talking about nothing and everything all the same.

It, however, had been cut short when the sound of knocking on the bedroom door caught their attention.

“Are you guys coming to join us tonight?” Patton’s voice called through the door.

Virgil’s attention shifted up to Logan, just as the latter’s turned down to him. He offered the human a small grin, pushing himself into a stand and pushing his hands back into the confines of the pockets on his hoodie.

“Care to join me?” He watched as Logan’s eyes flickered towards his laptop again, debating what was really more important. He could see that he was weighing the pros and cons of this encounter, so, the borrower moved and placed a foot on the top of the laptop, making sure he wouldn’t be able to open it without him moving. “Work can wait. If given enough time, I bet you’d have that essay done in an hour or two.”

Finally, the other male raised his hands in defeat. “Alright. As you wish. The essay can wait for now,” though, he made a mental note to get back to it as soon as he could.

From their raised position, Logan almost hesitated. Did Virgil want help getting to the living room, or would he prefer to get there by himself? He knew Patton had carried him here, but he wasn’t sure if he’d want the same treatment to the living room.

“Do you … want some assistance to the living room, or would you prefer to go by your own means?” He was offering help, without really stating it blatantly.

Of course, he watched as the question caused Virgil to tense. He understood that being putting your life, literally, into the palm of someone else’s hands could be difficult, but he could assure both himself and Virgil that nothing was going to happen either way. Whether he chose the offered help, or went by himself.

Virgil’s inner battle was back at it again.

_On one hand, you would get the to living room much faster. Everyone wouldn’t have to wait for you for nearly as long, and you know that Logan is careful, it’s just in his nature to be observant and aware of his surroundings._

Of course, his negativity always had something else to say. Pointing out options that were more unlikely than anything.

_On the other hand, if something went wrong, there was no way you would be able to save yourself. What if he trips? Or you lose your balance? Anything could happen and a fall from that height would be devastating._

Yeah, tripping was very much an unlikely problem bound to happen. Just, the thought of someone else being in control of what happens to you was off-putting and frightening.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Logan, he did, a lot more than he ever thought he would, but it was hard handing over something as precious as your life. Though, even that wasn’t particularly correct either. It wasn’t that he was entrusting the entirety of his life to him, just most of it, or what he had left of it.

Though, he really only had one choice he needed to make here, and if he was being honest, it wasn’t really as difficult as he was making it out to be.

Breaking his vow of silence, he looked up. “Uh, yeah, help would be great, thanks.” He then quickly added on. “If it’s not a problem. I mean, if it is, I can always just— get there myself, y’know? I don’t want to be a bother or-”

“If I wasn’t alright with helping, I wouldn’t have offered,” Logan cut his rant short, before finally offering a hand out to him.

Honestly, he had found himself in the same position. Not for the fact of facing down someone so much larger than oneself, but instead when Patton had offered him help a couple of times before, Logan had refused. One reason being that he didn’t want to distract him from the task that may have been at hand. Another reason being that it was, admittedly, difficult to accept help from anyone else.


	2. Untitled #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Borrower!Patton and Virgil. Human!Roman and Logan.

**|CHAPTER ONE|**

_“I’ll be back in a couple hours, you don’t have to worry about a thing.”_

_“I, actually, have a lot to worry about.”_

_“Well,”_ he had laughed at the time, an arm resting against Virgil’s shoulder, a grin in his eyes _,_ _“You don’t have to worry about me. Not this time. I’ll be back before you know it. I promise.”_

The hesitation he had gotten in response had spoke louder than any words could have. _“Okay.”_

It had seemed so easy at the time to say those things. It wasn’t as if Patton had never borrowed before, he had done it countless times throughout his lifetime, but this was really the first time he had gotten so distracted from the task at hand, that the sugar cube in his palm was forgotten.

The sound of misery coming from the living room was really the only thing he could focus on at this point.

Of the four years that he and Virgil had lived here, they had gotten to know both of the humans that lived in the house. He knew that Roman was an actor, and had had many roles where he would sound like he was upset and would instead be rehearsing for a show he was in.

But this … this sounded genuine.

Virgil had told him that he was an empathetic person and Patton knew that it was true. He had a big heart. Though, he had been told, that sometimes his big heart wasn’t exactly something that would be incredibly helpful.

Though, it did make him feel for the human that sounded so distressed currently.

There were a few things going on in his head at this point. Patton knew that he needed to finish his trip and get what he needed from the kitchen. He had time, he knew, because Logan had late classes on Tuesdays, and Roman seemed to be too preoccupied with himself in the living room to feel the need to come into the kitchen. However, another part of him was itching to do something. To at least give a little bit of moral support. He could already hear Virgil chastising him for even thinking about doing something like that.

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand the danger of that, but if the human didn’t see him, didn’t that mean everything would still be fine?

Shaking himself out of it, Patton opened his satchel and stuffed the sugar into it as best as he could. He allowed his eyes to scan the rest of the counter, but coming up with nothing, his attention turned upwards towards the cabinets.

He looked over his shoulder instead, turning to face the open door that lead directly into the living room.

It wouldn’t hurt too much if he tried to help, right? Even if he could do the littlest thing to make him feel better.

_No. No. You know that’s bad idea. You’d give Virgil a heart attack if he found out. Get what you need and get out._

Well, he couldn’t really argue with that logic, now could he?

Then again, his head was saying one thing and his heart was saying another. Which was doing nothing but being confusing. Which, now was not really the time for, admittedly.

Gosh, why did choices have to be so difficult.

Patton knew that he was already taking long enough as it was, but if there was even just the slightest chance of making someone feel better—and it didn’t matter if said ‘someone’ was human—he would be able to sleep better tonight. Explaining what had gone down wouldn’t exactly be something he could touch on, but it was better than having this weigh on his conscious.

Deeming that he would be able to get some supplies a little later, he moved to the edge of the counter and stuck his hook into the crevice of the wood, before letting the wire down and scaling down himself.

It took about a minute to get from the top to the bottom and that was without rushing. It took little to no effort, and a flick of the wrist, to get the hook unattached from way up high and he caught it without trouble. Winding the wire up around his hand and tucking it into his bag as well, Patton began his traverse across the kitchen floor, sticking close enough to the cupboards that he would be out of eyesight and certainly clear from being underfoot if one of the humans _did_ decide to enter the kitchen.

His hand stayed pressed against the wall, the divots pressing into his fingertips as he moved. The small cracks and thin lines that a human wouldn’t even think twice about was much more prominent to him.

Though, the closer he did get, the more his stomach began to twist in uneasiness. This really wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t just stand to the side and ignore this anymore.

This wasn’t the first time Patton had witnessed Roman in one of these episodes. It was heartbreaking, really, and he almost had a mental list of what could have made the human feel this way.

Possibly something he read, maybe a show he watched or a movie, or maybe it was a rehearsal gone bad? No, he was almost pretty sure Roman had just finished with a production and had been talking about a new one to Logan. Someone who probably hadn’t heard a word Roman had said about this new show, but nodded his head and looked as if he were listening anyways. Oh, maybe it was that audition that he said had been coming up. Had that been today?

Maybe that’s why he wasn’t feeling like himself, something had happened and had obviously brought his entire mood down.

“It was five lines,” the voice caught Patton off guard as he entered the living room, tiptoeing around the bend in the wall and sticking just underneath the couch. “You had five lines to convince them. Couldn’t even do that. Some actor you are.”

The self-deprecation was almost worse than Virgil. That was saying a lot, and because of those thoughts, it set something hard within Patton’s chest.

He deemed that he was safe enough underneath the couch, and he could keep an eye on Roman’s socked feet this way as well, so he would be able to tell if the human was moving or not. He had found himself in a good place, at least for now.

“Th-there’s no need to be so hard on yourself!” He found himself calling up, and the sudden squeaking of the couch springs above him made Patton jump, before hunching a bit further into himself.

His rapidly beating heartbeat was telling him to turn around and forget this whole thing. His eyes darted to the right of him, and a couple of paces away was an outlet that he would be able to use as an escape route if something were to happen. He was okay. This was fine.

The pause from above the couch was a bit unsettling though.

“What?” Roman’s voice was startlingly loud, but Patton refused to back down for a second time. “Who said that?”

“I— I don’t think that really matters,” he offered up again, trying to dissuade how bad an idea this was. He needed to not only distract Roman, but himself, it seemed, as well. “But I really don’t think you need to be so hard on yourself.”

Sure, he knew that he probably sounded like a disembodied voice to the human, but he just needed to keep a level head. Do those breathing exercises that he helped Virgil through when he needed to keep his cool. This wasn’t really any different than that, just, more dangerous. And pretty reckless.

Okay, so as the couch squeaked again, he realized this hadn’t been his best idea. Not in a long shot.

The human sounded skeptical. “I mean, I guess not,” he said. Though, Roman’s eyes were scanning the living room at this point. There had to be someone else in here with him. It wouldn’t be Logan, there was no chance. His roommate didn’t care for jokes, even less if he were the one to pull them himself. Was the house haunted? That was ridiculous. “But I had those lines memorized. I shouldn’t have stumbled over the words.”

He just needed to keep talking, if he were able to pinpoint where exactly this voice was coming from, he would be able to catch a glimpse of whatever was talking to him. He wasn’t exactly superstitious, it was kind of hard to be when Logan debunked _everything_ , but this was something completely new.

“Th-that’s okay!” The voice spoke up again, and Roman turned to look over his shoulder, but there was nothing but wall there. “Everyone has slip ups now and again, I’m sure, you can’t be the first one!”

“Well, no,” he continued humoring the voice, unsure of where this conversation was going, _if_ it was even going somewhere. “I’ve watched others forget their lines, but I shouldn’t have. I’m better than them.”

Patton shuffled nervously on his feet, watching as the socks in front of him moved as well, slightly to the side too. Though, he steeled his nerves. “I’m sure you’re great!” He chirped, fidgeting with his hands. “But I’m sure you did much better than you think you did.” He had had this conversation with Virgil many times. The other borrower would feel insignificant about how he did on his outing and Patton was always right there to tell him otherwise. That he really had done well.

Roman hesitated, falling quiet for another moment, seeing if the voice was going to speak again, this time unprompted. When he got nothing, he knew that if he wanted to find the source, he would need to keep talking.

“I have to thank you,” he said to the room at hand. He knew that if Logan came home right at this moment, he would find this an incredibly odd scene. It was odd, he could admit. “Though I don’t really understand why you’re being so nice to me.” _Or trying to make me feel better if I don’t know you._ He couldn’t even say that this was a friend from school pulling an elaborate and somewhat impressive prank, because he didn’t know anyone that sounded like that.

And how on earth did they make themselves sound so close, yet so far away? Their voice was incredibly soft.

“I’ve just been hearing all of these awful verbal thoughts,” Patton continued, realizing that the human was moving more now, so he had to be careful. He really had to watch himself, now. “I couldn’t stand to hear you talk so down about yourself anymore. I just had to say something.”

“Well, again, thank you.”

Roman felt as if he was so close in pinpointing wherever this voice was coming from when it hit him. Behind the couch. The voice was too quiet to be in the kitchen, but much too loud to be coming from anywhere in front of him.

So, if he didn’t want to alert whatever it was that was talking to him—and he would find it rather amusing if he were to look behind the couch and see an animal talking back to him, like in a Disney movie—he reached up onto the back of the couch and peered over.

What he _did_ see struck him silent for a moment. His mind absolutely blanched.

What looked to be something human, though so incredibly small, was standing right in his sight-line, but almost looking as if it was trying to remain hidden underneath the couch itself.

A heartbeat of pause passed between them both, and it was dead silent. Though, it didn’t seem that the tiny humanoid creature had even realized it had been spotted yet. Luck seemed to be on Roman’s side then.

“I hope that this had been helpful,” the small voice said and Roman’s eyes widened. The creature really _was_ the source the voice. “B-but I really must be going.”

He ducked his head back a moment, attempting to not make it seem like he had already spotting him. The last thing he really wanted was for the being to run, then he wouldn’t even get the chance to see him up close. “You’re leaving so soon?”

“I can’t really stay forever,” Patton chuckled nervously. He wasn’t about to give away the fact that he wasn’t living alone, but there was little he could do until he got back into the walls. “It was nice talking to you though!”

 _Mission accomplished,_ Patton could say he did feel a bit better knowing that Roman wasn’t as miserable as he had been before now, but he really couldn’t stick around for much longer.

The longer he was underneath the couch, the more of a chance he had when it came to getting caught.

As his eyes honed in on the socket that he knew he would able to get through.

That was before the creaking on couch intensified and before Patton even had the chance to stumble back a few paces, there was an incoming shadow and he was surrounded by warmth on all sides. The gasp that stuck in his throat was panicked and loud. His panic skyrocketed when he felt vertigo hit hard and suddenly the world was spinning and he found his stomach doing flips with the movement that he couldn’t control.

His bag had been shoved into his side uncomfortably by fingers that were much too long for his liking and his glasses were thrown askew in the haste and Patton was trying to blink the dizziness away.

It took a moment for everything to register, but the moment it did, his breathing stilled and he was looking directly into two large brown eyes that seemed just as surprised—if not more—than himself.

“Woah,” was the first word to break the silence between them. Roman was incredible astonished. How could something this small even be real? If this was a movie, sure, he could believe it, but this was real life. “You’re so small.”

The words had been stolen right from his mouth, and he could hardly fathom what had just happened. Within seconds, his only chance at escape had been taken away and there was nothing he could do to get that back. Well, there were a few options, but they weren’t exactly … friendly. So, he was struck silent.

The silence was almost too much, but he’d already messed this up, there was no reason to worsen his chances. Panic flared in his chest, but Patton wouldn’t allow that to consume him, he didn’t have that option.

“What even _are_ you?” The voice rumbled through the hand that held him, and Patton winced. It wasn’t so much the volume—if anything, Roman sounded like an excited kid. Though, when he was answered with silence, it seemed he wouldn’t be satisfied with that. “Hey, there’s no reason to stay quiet. I know you can talk. What happened to the want for conversation?”

In what seemed like the first time, Patton blinked before shaking his head. He wanted to say something, but nothing was coming to mind. What _could_ he say? There wasn’t many options that didn’t give away what he was, or if he lived alone or not. The last thing he wanted to do was give up the information that Virgil existed too. And not even just that, the fact that there was a whole race.

Well, if the tiny creature didn’t want to speak, that was fine, Roman could and would do most of the talking anyways. “I didn’t think anything like you could even exist,” he noted, turning his hand just enough to examine the humanoid being. Everything seemed to be the same as any other person, just the fact that he was so small. The details on the clothing, the facial expressions, even the detail that the person had made glasses for himself. How, he had no idea, but it was incredible. “Are you some sort of fairy or something?” That may be stretching it, as far as Roman could tell, there wasn’t any wings.

Patton laughed nervously, shaking his head, but not so much in answer. More so in the fact that he couldn’t believe that this was even happening. “We-well no—”

“So, you’re just as human as me, then?” The information seemed to spark something behind those great brown eyes.

“U-um, I guess you could say that.” Nailing his kind wasn’t exactly something that had really been done before. They were called ‘borrowers’, but humans probably had a different names for them.

“Well you have to be called something,” Roman concluded.

Yes, they were called something, but there was no way he was letting that information go. He had already caused too much damage and he really needed to find a way to get out of this mess before something bad happened. He should have known better, he really should have. Even this late at night, of course Roman still would have been vigilant enough. This had been such a stupid idea.

“I wou-wouldn’t go that far,” he stammered, swallowing thickly. “Not everything really h-has to have a name.” Which was true enough. Though, Patton wasn’t entirely sure if Roman had meant borrowers as a collective, or if he was asking if Patton had a name, which, of course he did.

There wasn’t exactly much he could do to help his situation though. Not while Roman still had him. Maybe conversation was the only way to do this. If he could convince him to let him go, then perhaps he could put this all behind him and head home. He wouldn’t have to tell Virgil anything unless he asked specifically.

He just had to bide his time and soon, he would be put down and he could make his escape. He did have his bag with him, it wouldn’t be an impossible feat. Hard, yes, but not impossible.

“I guess that makes sense,” Roman relented, but there was still that interested pique in his eyes. He had never seen something so small, not when things like this would only really exist in imaginations or children stories. “Do you have a name, then?”

“Ye-yeah,” his stammering caught him off-guard. He was trying his best to shake it, but when that didn’t happen, his pounding heart would just have to calm down on its own.

Then it came to the point in time when he had to decide if he wanted to be open about his name, or just not say anything at all. He wasn’t sure which would be the worst route to take, but the expectant look that he was getting in return made him feel … _small_.

Smaller than usual, at least.

 

————————

**|CHAPTER ???|**

The house was oddly quiet.

It was almost too quiet.

Virgil was used to having noise coming from either the small kitchenette he and Patton had built, or rustling from the living room. The silence that he could hear was somewhat unnerving.

Though the warmth of the bed was comforting, there was just something that wasn’t sitting right with him. The fact that the house seemed to be too quiet in the first place was setting him on edge.

While a part of him wanted to say that everything was fine, the other half of him, the louder half, was telling him that he needed to get out of bed and make sure that everything was fine. That way, if he could see something reassuring, he would be able to convince himself.

Virgil pushed the blanket away from him, before getting up off of the bed and grabbing his hoodie. Slipping that over his head, he quickly changed into some day clothes.

Shuffling a hand through his hair, he pushed open the door to his bedroom before peeking his head down and out into the hallway. The silence just seemed louder when the door was open. Which made him nervous.

“Pat?” He called out, testing for a response.

Virgil waited for a moment, before moving out further into the hallway, leaving his room behind and tucking his hands into his pockets.

He gave it another moment, before he tried again. “Patton?” The silence filled the air for the moment. “You here?”

There was a building nervousness in his stomach. He really didn’t like this. Not at all. The silence was ringing like bells at this point and he couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of his own heart. The blood rushing in his ears was drowning everything else out.

_No. No, no. This can’t be happening. Patton can’t just not be here._

There were a few reasons why he wouldn’t be here, and none of them were exactly something he wanted to think about. One, the other borrower could still be out getting some things, but he had promised to be back within a couple hours, not all night. So, another reason may be that he got stuck and he hasn’t had the chance to get unstuck just yet and was still attempting to. Or, the third option—which Virgil was praying wasn’t the case—was that Patton had been caught by one of the humans in the apartment and wasn’t able to escape.

He wasn’t here, Virgil knew that much, but he wasn’t sure that if he went out looking, if that would do much good. What if he left and Patton came back?

But, what if he didn’t go out looking and all he ended up getting Patton hurt by association?

If he was trapped, how long had it been? Was he okay? Was he hurt? God, he had to be terrified if he had been captured. Just the thought of being caught by a human made Virgil’s heart pound in his throat.

This was all wrong. He couldn’t just stay here and hope for the best, but he couldn’t just run out there into the house and hope for the best. It was an early morning, yes, but there was always the chance that someone would be up. Speaking of, the someone that was most certainly going to be awake would be Logan. With morning classes, he was almost always up before 6 in the morning.

This entire thing was just a risky situation, but he knew that if he were in Patton’s position, the latter would do anything in his power to help and Virgil wasn’t going to wimp out of this.

He took the few extra seconds to poke around the house, making sure that he wasn’t overreacting. Maybe Patton was still asleep and he didn’t hear him. With that hopeful idea in mind, Virgil turned on his heel and went directly down the hall to the latter’s bedroom.

Raising a hesitant hand, he knocked after a moment. He then knocked again and again. There was nothing. No shuffling from inside, no movement. That sent the wedge further into his chest and it felt cold and heavy.

_Please. Please don’t be caught. Please be here._

The young man gave it another moment, waiting for something to happen. Anything. A noise. A laugh, a cough, a _something_.

All he got was silence from the other side of the door. There was no chance that he hadn’t been heard this time, but there was still that hope. That pulling in his chest that just wanted him to be here. He couldn’t wish for anything other than that.

Throwing open the door, after struggling with the fact that this wasn’t his room and he really had no reason to go in there, he pressed on and took a glance inside. From what he could tell, the bed was undisturbed and nothing seemed out of place or strewn there to prove that Patton had come back sometime during the night.

His heart sunk like a rock in his chest.

There was really only one thing he had to do now. As difficult as it would be to convince himself to do something like this, there was no choice. His best friend was out there somewhere in that apartment being held captive by a human and Virgil needed to do something about that.

_Okay, okay. This is crazy._

Turning on his heel, he shut the door behind him and he went back into his room. Grabbing his bag off of the chair next to his bed, he slipped that over his shoulder and then made a bee-line towards the front door. Grabbing his boots and pulling them on quick, he needed to keep his head steady or he was going to try and psyche himself out of this, which wouldn’t help anything.

This really was crazy.

But that didn’t really matter right now. All he truly wanted was to have Patton back and if that meant risking his all, then he was going to do the best he could.

Before he left the house, he retraced his steps and went back, grabbing a piece of lead and a scrap piece of paper tucked away under the counter and pulled it out.

Quickly, he scribbled down a note in case Patton did come back and he wasn’t here. Satisfied with that, he tightened his hand on the strap of his bag and turned around.

Virgil dipped through the front door before shutting it behind him and picking up the pace. He didn’t have much time, even as he weaved through the dark passageways through the walls with a careful precision. The first place he was going to check was the kitchen as that’s where he had been heading in the first place. It was where they got most of their supplies, so it seemed to most logical. He could only hope that Logan would be having a late start to his morning and wouldn’t be there just yet.

It was unlikely, but he could hope.

As he got closer, he could hear the sounds of the clinking of a mug and then the whirring of the coffee machine starting up. So, it seemed luck wasn’t really on his side.

That was … fine. It was fine. This was all _fine._

Who was he kidding, this was ridiculous. He was going to get himself killed doing this.

The pounding in his chest was a signal that he was starting to get nervous. Of course, the rushing of blood in his ears was also a telling tale of that as well. As he slowed his pace, Virgil leaned against the outlet that led onto the counter, the entrance hidden just behind the microwave. Dropping down the inch to the counter, he ducked a bit further down.

Shutting it silently, he peered around the corner of the microwave and was more than satisfied to see that Logan had his back turned to him, more concerned with his morning coffee.

He was out of his mind. The human was right there and he was just sitting on the counter. Free game if he couldn’t get back to the outlet on time.

God, this was only going to end badly. Why did he think this was a good idea?

_Because Pat would do the same thing for you. Don’t let your fear get the better of you. After this, it’s time to pack and move._

Pushing on, he had to steel his nerves, his hands were trembling. He could feel the thundering of his heart and he was pretty sure if the blood in his ears wasn’t so loud, he would be able to hear it too. Steadying himself as best as he could, he took his first step out, before moving quickly and making his silent trek towards the toaster.

A heartbeat passed and the mug moving caught his attention again. He managed to get behind it just before Logan turned around, though the human didn’t seem to look like he was leaving the kitchen. However, that exhausted look on his features spoke to a tired Logan, so maybe Virgil could use that to his advantage.

Pressing his hand against the cool metal, the touch was a bit startling at first, he relaxed just a hair. The more frenzied he became, the worse his chances would be when it came to finding his friend. He needed to be as rational as possible. Which was incredibly difficult.

Clenching his hands, he managed to steady them for just a moment, peering out the opposite side of the toaster and before long, he moved again. The breadbox was just ahead of him and if he could reach that, well, it would be an accomplishment.

With that in mind, he pressed on, keeping his steps light with a practiced precision. He kept his eyes locked on the human, making sure that he wasn’t looking in his direction, and dipped behind the breadbox. So far, there had been literally no sign of his partner, so that meant he was somewhere else. If he had been found, there was no way that the jar or whatever Patton had been put into would be left out in the open. Not if he knew these two humans like he did.

If Logan had found him, it would be likely that Patton wouldn’t be getting any say in what was happening to him — not that being found by Roman would be any better, not when his own curiosity got the better of him more often than not.

Keeping his back pressed against the box as he inched closer to the opposite side, Virgil took a breath to steady himself. Peering around the corner, Logan still seemed more preoccupied with his coffee than anything else.

When his focus was on one thing, it was unlikely for him to divert his attention, so that gave Virgil a bit more of a chance. Though, he was more than tempted to stay where he was until Logan left the kitchen entirely. Actually, that sounded like a much more reasonable idea, so, he stayed where he was.

He had a few options. He could stay here the entire time and wait. He could press on a bit further and risk hiding behind the coffee machine even if the human was right there, or he could backtrack to the outlet he came out of and continue through the walls and check out the living room and then scouting out the bedrooms.

While his head was telling him one thing, his anxiety was telling him another thing and he could say that it was the pounding in his chest that was going to win this battle, hands down. Just the prospect of getting close enough to the human to be seen was uncomfortable and it set a hard stone into his stomach. Using that, he turned his attention back to the way he had come. Before he could do anything, shuffling caught his attention and he held his breath. He was well aware that he wasn’t breathing incredibly loudly, but there was just something that told him to do it.

The sound of movement was the only thing he could focus on, he was praying that this movement wasn’t leading the human to his hiding spot. If he was seen, then everything he would have done would be in vain.

A few seconds of silence and it seemed that it had gone back to normal, if just for the few moments that he would need to make his escape back into the outlet and back into the walls. He knew he shouldn’t have taken such a risk, especially not with Logan in the very same room.

The problem with living in an apartment with Logan was that the human was observant and vigilant. He was calculating and eerily silent when he wanted to be. It was unnerving to watch from a distance, nevertheless if he ever had to face it down in person.

Releasing the breath he had been holding, Virgil allowed himself the first move that he had made in a while. The minutes that had passed had been full of anxiously waiting in painstaking silence, he couldn’t do that anymore. Getting out of the kitchen was the first option. If the only option.

Another quick check around the corner and Logan’s back was turned. He had to make his move now or his chance would be gone before he knew it.

Trying to ignore the beating of his heart, he moved out from behind his hiding spot and silently tiptoed across the counter. His eyes were locked on his destination, but he was listening. For anything that could set his nerves off even more.

The pregnant silence filled the air. It was heavy and thick, and it only took Virgil half a second to realize what had just gone wrong. A heaviness on his back that hadn’t been there before was now even more prominent.

When he turned to look over his shoulder, already dreading what he would see, Logan was staring directly at him. Steely, calculating brown eyes hidden behind glass lenses watched him from just above a white coffee mug. Only one word flitted through the borrower’s head before his instincts kicked in.

_Shit._

With panic overtaking his entire system, Virgil broke the staring contest before falling into a dead sprint across the counter.

A low swear was heard behind him before the clattering of glass against tile and he knew he had just lost a valuable few seconds.

Terror seized his wrists almost as soon as he saw the shadow fall over top of him. Reacting on instinct at this point, he grasped for the tack that Patton had gotten for him.

 _“Just in case,”_ he had said, that serious look on his features, _“you never really know.”_

 _“I’m not going to need it,”_ Virgil had tried to argue at the time, but had been silenced by that fatherly look Patton knew he could use on him. The tack had then been pressed into his hands firmly. He had sighed, but agreed. He had been so confident in his skills to not get caught. _“Alright.”_

He reacted before his mind could catch up to him and he was swiping the tack across the finger nearest him.

A sharp in take of breath was heard from behind him and the hand retreated almost instantly. Maybe that hadn’t of been the best idea, but hey, he still had his attempt to get back to the outlet.

That was all before the sound of a cabinet being thrown open and a loud, resonating _thud_ surrounded him on all sides. He tripped up a moment, and unable to stop himself in time he used his shoulder and knocked it against the glass itself in a desperate final attempt to move it before being bounced backwards and landing uncomfortably on his rear.

He really couldn’t do this right now. His stomach dropped as soon as everything registered.

A glass had been slammed over top of him and the hand keeping it still was right above him, as intimidating and gigantic as ever. His attention then shifted from the hand and followed the wrist and the arm, in turn, right back to the human who still had analytical eyes trained right down on him. There was traces of blood on his opposite pointer finger and Virgil felt something, whether it was guilt or the fact that he wanted to vomit, he wasn’t entirely sure.

He couldn’t tell if Logan was irritated or not, but the fact that he couldn’t tell frightened him almost more. What was the human thinking? What was his next course of action? Dear God, what was he going to _do_ to him?

Instead of keeping his back turned, Virgil moved and pressed his back against the opposing side of the glass, leaving his tack discarded just in front of him, it still held a few droplets of blood on the tip and he didn’t know whether to feel satisfied or sick. His knees curled up into his chest, wide eyes stayed locked on the much larger ones.

The silence was held and stony. Would the silence even break? Was he going to be talked to? Inspected? _Killed?_ While he didn’t think Logan was into that sort of thing, there was never a way to be sure what would happen when he was faced with something he didn’t understand. There was really no way to tell what he had gotten himself into. His attempt to save his friend was now completely in vain. Now that they were both caught, there was no chance of escape whatsoever for either of them.

“Hmm,” the hum was low, and the sudden sound startled Virgil out of his thoughts—relatively a safe place most of the time—and he was brought right back into the crushing weight of reality. Logan’s eyes flickered down from the trapped creature down to his hand, the trickle of blood didn’t phase him, but it stung.

Some would joke that pain would be the only thing he could feel. Not to say they were far off, anyhow.

While they held their respective silences, the clock ticked later into the morning. When Logan had finally paid attention to it, he realized that if he didn’t leave now, he would be late to class. He tried not to be that person, as almost always whoever came in late disrupted what the professor had to say and ruined the moment.

Though, he couldn’t just leave the creature here either. If Roman got his hands on his find, it was hard to say what would happen after that, and Logan certainly wasn’t going to risk his chance of understanding whatever it is that he had trapped under a glass.

The very fact that his finger stung proved that this wasn’t an early morning hallucination.

“Well, we’ve come to a bit of an impasse, haven’t we?” In all honesty, Logan wasn’t even sure if the being could understand him, nevertheless speak for itself. He did want to find out if it had any cognitive ability at all. It was possible that when it lashed out, it had been a thoughtless act in it’s defense. However, there was also the fact that maybe there was a deeper level of thought too. “Any objections to coming to class with me?”

Virgil’s anxiety spiked almost instantly at the prospect of being taken to a _school_ with a _human._

He nodded his head, heart pounding in his throat. He knew that if he spoke, so many more rules would be broken, but then again, if he didn’t say anything, Logan would probably take his silence for a go-ahead anyways and do what he pleased.

Then again, the bespectacled human could very easily ignore his voiced requests and do what he wanted anyways.

They really _were_ at an impasse.

What would happen if he didn’t answer? Would he just be taken along in the glass? Presented to the class as a spectacular new find? No, he couldn’t be the reason that the entire race was found out about. He couldn’t ruin everything for innocent families.

Hell, he didn’t want to give up the fact that _Patton_ existed if Logan didn’t have him.

The glass then started to move, and Virgil was slid along by association and with no choice whatsoever. His panic flared hot in his chest when he realized what was going to happen. Logan was pushing the glass to the edge of the counter, so that Virgil would have no choice but to be handheld. He needed to say something. He _had_ to.

“W- _wait!”_

The sudden, rather echoed, exclamation made the glass stop moving altogether. Though, surprise was evident on the human’s features, Logan was swift to hide it with intrigue.

“You can speak,” he mused, more to himself than his tiny capture. “A discovery like you is certainly unheard of. Knowing you can speak does makes this a little less tedious for the both of us, as long as you continue to cooperate. Though, assuming you acted out of self-defense when you attacked me,” which he enunciated with a pointed look, “I should have known better.”

Okay, so he had underestimated him, so what? Virgil wasn’t concerned with that, he was more worried about the fact that Logan was more than ready to take him to class. What was happening with that anyways? The pounding in his chest never died down, in fact, he could swear that it worsened.

Another look to the clock and Logan shifted. “Perhaps this isn’t the time. Though, you never did answer my question earlier. Judging by your body language, you do have some problems with coming with me. I’m sure I can guess why.”

Had he scared him silent? Well, if that was the case, than the creature was coming with him anyways. Judging by how terrified the little guy had been, it was easy to realize that he was acting this way because he wanted to stay _away_ from people. Or, maybe it was just Logan and Roman had been keeping this secret rather well for a very long time.

The idea was almost as ridiculous as seeing such a tiny male in the first place.

So, he started to shift the glass again.

Virgil had no way to stay quiet when Logan was this relentless. “S-stop! _Please_ , God, just wait!” Once again, the glass’s progress was halted. “I-I can’t go— go to your class with you.”

“And why not?”

He almost didn’t know how to respond to something like that. Being asked _why he—_ someone who is _literally_ probably three inches tall _at most_ —can’t go with a human to a school that _greatly outmatches him._

Instead, he struggled for a moment, wanting to gesture, but not knowing if Logan would actually understand what he was trying to demonstrate. He knew that the human almost always took everything literally. So, instead of fighting with it, he fell quiet.

The clock that kept ticking on the wall was making Logan a tad nervous, he really didn’t want to be the one that disrupted the class, but skipping wasn’t a very attractive option either.

He did understand, somewhat, why the creature was being so obstinate, even as quiet as he was being in the long run. “Finding you must have been a fluke then,” he spoke up, dragging the smaller brown eyes to his own, “I’m not supposed to know that you’re even here, am I?”

Virgil shrugged noncommittally, before nodding his head in answer. He tucked further into his hoodie, trying to hide away from the world and those prying eyes.

“Well, that settles it then.”

That snapped him out of his pity. _What_ had been settled? There had been no discussion, Logan hadn’t even said what was going to happen next!

The startled look must have said something more than he meant it to because the human cleared his throat. “Well, you’ll be coming with me to class. I can’t risk letting you escape, but worrying you with being seen by other people wouldn’t be helpful either.” It wouldn’t be kind, really, either he noted. That and when people were put into stressful situations—suggesting that this creature was as human-like as he was, just smaller and still reacted like any other normal person—would cause them to go into a relapse and either react out of self-preservation (such as the tack that had been used against him earlier) or they would shut down. The _fight or flight_ mechanism that was built into pretty much every living thing that could think and react. “But you won’t have to worry about being seen.”

_What?!_

Telling an anxious person not to worry was probably one of the worst things you could do.

Virgil laughed nervously before sitting up a little straighter, wondering if Logan would take him more seriously that way. “Y-you can’t—” he stammered, trying to shake the nerves off, “It’s not safe and— and something could go wrong and what if-”

The sound of a sigh being released caught his attention. “I don’t have time for this,” was what punctuated the air again. Then the glass started to move once again and Virgil had no purchase on the slippery surface as the edge of the counter neared. Heart now pounding in his throat, the young man struggled to at least stay somewhat away from the edge.

Yes, he knew that Logan’s hand was right there and falling wasn’t an issue, but it was the fact that he really didn’t want to be handled at all that was driving his fear through the roof. His breathing heightened. Never had he wanted Roman, with some random whimsical worry, to come bursting in and distract Logan more than right now.

————————

It was stress inducing, watching as Roman paced around, chattering about things that hardly made sense. Patton was seated on the bedside table, watching the human move, even with the dull ache in his chest that said he needed to do something. To say something.

It was frustrating, he needed to admit, that he wasn’t being listened to. Most of the time he would speak, Roman would just nod and then move on as if he hadn’t said anything at all.

That sort of disregard was unsettling.

This kind of thing never happened when he was back home with Virgil. He knew that his partner was quick to listen to him if he was expressing worries and Patton was more than happy to sit with the latter in silence if that’s what he needed in the long run. There had been many moments where he went back and regretted trying to sympathize. If he had just listened to his head and not his heart, then this never would have happened.

The constant pacing was beginning to make him nervous though, the fact that he didn’t get a say in anything was what upset him.

Back home, he made his own decisions, and yes, Virgil could say it was a bad idea or he could try and reason with him, but Virgil never _forced_ him to do something, even if he didn’t want to do it.

Roman would sit and wait until he was obeyed and it was disheartening.

Everything that was happening now was just driving the point home that the human didn’t think he was an important as himself, and it made Patton’s heart ache.

He was just as sentient as anyone else! He could think for himself, speak for himself, take care of himself and another person when the opportunity arose. He was a fully grown _adult_ , for goodness sake. He knew how to do every day tasks and then being treated less than that hurt for many reasons.

“Roman please—” He tried again, brushing his hands nervously against his pants.

He had tried so many times to get away and every time he had been caught in the moment. He was always a hair too late to get to safety. He just wanted to go home, was that really too much to ask?

“Oh, I know what we could do,” the human snapped his fingers, turning on his heel and stopping his pacing almost instantly. “We could go and see a movie or something, I’ve heard that there’s a good show down in the theater lately.”

At the thought of leaving the house again drove panic hard through his chest. He had already been dragged along to Roman’s classes, there was no way he could even think it was remotely okay to do something like that again after what had almost happened.

Patton had to say something. He needed to try and express his discomfort for the hundredth time.

He really couldn’t be going to a place where there would be more humans. He knew that movie theaters could be loud and uncomfortable and hot and with so many dangerous outcomes to one situation. For once, the overthinking was helping a bit more than he thought it would.

“I can’t do that, it’s too dangerous—”

“Oh nonsense, Patton,” Roman grinned down at him, that beaming look on his features that he got when he came up with, what he thought, were the best ideas, “everything would be completely safe. It would be just like when you came to class with me on Thursday. Except this time you won’t have to worry about being seen in broad daylight. The theater is dark and quiet, usually.”

He wasn’t listening. He wasn’t— he wasn’t _listening_ to him.

So, he tried again. “Kiddo, I don’t think that the trip to the university is exactly a good comparison …”

“You can’t tell me that you don’t want to watch a movie.”

Well, that was true, it would be fun to go see something like that. He had always dreamed of being able to see a movie in an actual movie theater and didn’t have to wait until it came out on DVD and someone would watch it here in the home, but even when he had dreamed of seeing it, he had never been accompanied by a human.

When Roman didn’t get an answer, obviously he took the silence differently than how Patton meant it. “Splendid. We can get going real quick, I think we could make it to the matinee if we tried.”

A sharp sense of hopelessness finally caught up to him and Patton sucked in a sharp breath, trying to steady his heart. Was this how Virgil felt before he had a panic attack? He could usually read the signs of an oncoming anxiety attack, but it was harder to recognize in himself. The heavy breathing was there though.

He pushed himself into a stand, taking a step forwards before he could rethink it. Patton needed to get Roman’s attention and even then, he wasn’t sure how that was going to turn out.

But he couldn’t take this anymore and the heat building behind his eyes was hot and bubbling and—

“You’re not _listening_ to me!”

His words cut like a knife and the silence was startled. When Roman turned back to face him, surprise was written across his face. “What-”

“I can’t do this anymore, Roman,” Patton finally broke, looking up to meet his eyes as tears welled, his hands were balled into fists and his nails were digging into the palms of his hands. He was trembling, but not from fear. From all the pent up emotions he had been keeping inside. “I _can’t_. You keep talking about going places and taking me along and you’re not listening to how I _feel_ about it. Does that not matter to you?”

He watched as the human tried to stammer out a response.

“Do my feelings not matter to you just because I’m not like you?” He raised a hand to pull his glasses off and he rubbed at the wetness underneath his eyes, trying to scrub them away. “I’m just as sentient as you are. Being around people bigger than me makes me nervous, Roman. It’s dangerous for me. I’ve tried to be nice, I’ve tried to tell you how I feel. I’ve _tried_ and nothing ever changes for me. You act like you’re listening but nothing changes.” His chest jumped in a hiccup and he shook his head, almost looking defeated and exhausted. “I just want to go home and I can’t even do that.”

“But you are–”

“No!” It was the first time Patton had said that to Roman, and it would be wrong to say that it didn’t feel good.

For once this entire time, he finally had at least a little bit of control and it had been because he snapped.

“No. _This_ isn’t my home, and I know you’ve been trying so hard to make it seem more hospitable, I can see your efforts and I appreciate it, I really do.” He replaced his glasses, pushing them back up onto his nose and crossing his arms, hugging himself. “But you have to understand that I’m— I’m an adult, Roman. No, my size doesn’t make me look like one, but _I am_. I can take care of myself, I have been since I was a little kid.”

Roman looked starstruck, but there was a flicker of something else on those features as well.

Patton sucked in a another breath, attempting to calm himself down a bit more, but the fear of all of this wasn’t helping. “I just … I just want to go _home_. My emotions are important too, how I feel isn’t irrelevant. I’m just as human as you are. I have needs and wants and yearns and—” A sob cut off his rant and he covered his mouth as if to stifle the sounds.

All because he had been too sympathetic, he had gotten stuck in this entire situation and he hadn’t seen Virgil once throughout the time he had been stuck here. It had nearly been a week and this was the first time he was expressing his worries and his anxieties.

A part of him felt better, but another part of him felt even more vulnerable than before.

Would his feelings even be taken seriously? Would all of that just be brushed off and labeled as a meltdown and then everything would go back to the way it was?

The silence was heavy and uncomfortable and Patton sunk to his knees, just holding himself.

He was so used to having a comforting hand on his back, gentle words and soothing motions or an arm around his shoulder as if to remind him that he was okay when this happened. As rare as it was, it did happen. This, however, was the first time he was alone in this endeavor and it hurt. It was frightening and he didn’t know how to feel.

If anything, he felt too much.

“I-I didn’t,” the words came out startled and confused, but it was an attempt and Patton could admire Roman for trying. “I’m sorry I didn’t think-”

A small voice cut the human off almost instantly.

“C-could I have some alone time?”

The request was feeble and quiet, hurt and yearning all at once. Roman felt a whole lot of guilt all at once. Unsure of how to handle it, he let out a small breath and nodded his head. “Ye-yeah, of course you can,” he took a few steps closer to the door frame before pausing and looking over his shoulder.

As much as he didn’t want to let Patton go, he didn’t want to lose him so soon anyway, he knew that what had been expressed was true. Patton was an adult who could care for himself and he had taken all of that free will away from him, without really meaning to admittedly.

He let a hand rest against the door itself, before dropping his gaze. “I’m sorry, I really am,” the earnest part of his voice showed through and it made the smaller male look up, confused. “I, um, I screwed this up pretty badly, but, uh. You’re welcome to leave.” That teary, surprised gaze only widened. Before Patton could say anything, Roman smiled sadly. “Yeah, like, actually go. I don’t want to hold you back anymore.”

And then the human left the room altogether.

When he didn’t come back a few moments later, Patton let out a small noise of relief. Surprise and that overwhelming feeling of wanting to get out of there. He could leave. He could finally go home. After the week of straining and terrifying experiences he could finally get out of there.

His bag had been discarded on the dresser on the other side of the room and his eyes locked onto it. Drying what water he could, he pushed himself up onto his feet and made a move to the bed. Leaping over the gap between the bed and beside table, with little to no hesitance about the height of the drop, he rolled onto the soft comforter and scrambled to his feet.

If he could get to his bag, he could get out of here much easier.

After a few minutes of sliding down the comforter, trekking across the floor and climbing up the dresser, he finally had his satchel secured around his torso again and he felt a huge wave of relief to have all of his things back.

To make sure nothing had been removed or lost, he quickly filed through it.

_Climbing hook. Tape. Bandages. Pins. Tack. Paper. Safety pin._

Everything seemed to be in order and he grabbed out the hook, fastening the button again and latching it into the wood, easily repelling backwards after testing its weight and hold. Instead of taking minutes to get down, it took seconds and before long he was winding up the string and tucking it away again.

Patton hesitated, waiting a tense moment to see if Roman was coming back yet, to see if this was some sort of sick ploy. When the door frame remained empty of the human, he took this chance and took his leave through the loose panel underneath the dresser and he slid back into the walls.

Shoving the panel back into place, he slumped against the opposite side of the wall and it took a moment to register that he was out of harms way now.

He felt a lot right now, and the tightness in his chest spoke to that easily, but that’s not where his focus was right now.

He broke into a sprint rather quickly, dodging around the dips and curves in the walls that he knew like the back of his hand, pulling himself up onto smaller floors and using the nails like a ladder and before long, he was pushing open the door to the small home that he and Virgil had built in between the first and second floor of the house.

Everything seemed to be relatively unchanged and a grin finally came across his features. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned against it for a moment before slipping the bag over his head and hanging it on a nail bent into shape as a hanger.

“Virgil?” He called into the house, wanting nothing more than to embrace his friend, undoing the laces to his boots and toeing them off by the door and stepping further into the home. “I’m back! And let me just tell you, I’ve probably just had the worst week of my life!”

The small laugh was met with more silence. _Huh._

Slipping his jacket over his shoulder and resting it on the back of the kitchen chair, he tilted his head and leaned forwards a bit, peering down the hallway where their bedrooms were.

It was sort of weird that he had been met with no answer, but then again, it was possible that his roommate had gone out borrowing. Though, another part of him said that his absence for the week must have terrified Virgil and would eventually push him to do something about it.

The thought made him uncomfortable.

Patton turned to look over his shoulder towards the door where the coat rack was and he looked below it, only seeing his shoes there. That was a big hint into saying that Virgil wasn’t here.

 _Or_ , the more hopeful part of him said, _the kid didn’t take his shoes off before heading to his room to sleep. Maybe he had just been so exhausted and he was just napping in his room._

Taking a moment, he decided to move around the table and walked down the hall before knocking gingerly on the bedroom door. There was nothing but quiet in there and he furrowed his brows, his stomach sinking.

Pushing open the door, he stepped into the bedroom and saw that the bed was unmade. Virgil’s hoodie was missing, of course he never went anywhere without it, along with his bag that was almost always slung off into the corner of the bedroom. It looked like the room hadn’t been occupied since, maybe at the latest, this morning.

Stepping back, he peered down the rest of the hallway, curious as to where he could have gone off to. Was he borrowing?

 _He probably got worried when you didn’t come back for a week,_ his logical side kicked in a bit more and the true weight of the situation crashed down, _if his bag is missing, then he’s not here. He most likely went looking for you._

Patton had never doubted Virgil, but sometimes he did wish that his anxiety would get the better of him. Especially if it meant stopping him from going to look for him. If he had been missing a week, then it was most likely that Virgil had had enough of the sitting and waiting around and went to do something on his own.

That thought wasn’t comforting to him at all.

Yes, it was nice to think that his friend cared for him so much he would come looking, but really, Patton hadn’t wanted that. If staying trapped had meant that Virgil stayed safe, well, it was an easy choice to make.

Moving back down the hallway after shutting the bedroom door, he peeked back into the kitchen, wondering if he had missed something important.

His eyes scanned the kitchen again and then he saw it, a piece of stray graphite and a piece of paper strewn against the table. He quickly advanced on it and picked the paper up, reading over the scribbled words. It was sloppy, so it was obvious Virgil had been in a rush to write it.

_‘If you come back and I’m not here, I just got worried about you and decided to go looking. I’ll see you soon, Pat._

_\- V.’_

His eyes scanned over it for a second time, almost thinking nothing of it, until he noticed something at the very bottom, almost as if it were written like an afterthought.

_‘If something goes wrong, the date is Wed, Oct 15th.’_

The paper fell from Patton’s hands and it fluttered to the floor without a sound.

The date today was October 22nd.

_October 22nd._

Virgil hasn’t been home for a week.

“No,” the word came quickly and he stepped back from the table, terror seizing his chest, shaking his head in disbelief. “No. No, no, _no. No!”_

He had gone out looking for him and he hadn’t come back. If he did, that note wouldn’t have been there. It wouldn’t be there.

Hands shaking, he felt the tears welling up again but he couldn’t— he couldn’t let his emotions get to him. A choked noise escaped him without permission and it was that sound that broke him completely.

Virgil had nearly been missing for almost the entire time he had been. What if he was hurt? What if he had gotten hurt and just couldn’t make it back here? Or worse?

The worse situation that he could think of was what he had just gotten out of. But if Roman didn’t have him, and he knew that for a fact, then that left—

Logan.

Roman’s roommate who was devoted to science and understanding things. He was a logic driven man and if something didn’t make sense, he would try and learn anything and everything he could about that one thing.

The thought was a terrifying one to be caught by him. There was no telling what he would do.

_Oh no. Oh no, no, no, nononono._

They tried to stay away from Logan just because of the human’s curiosity. It was never solidified what would happen if they had ever been caught by him. He was a student that was currently studying science and because of that anything could happen. That sort of stuff never boded well with borrowers. Science, in fact, was a big reason why they stayed away from humans, just because some people were cruel in their intrigue and would end up killing something to study it.

Now, there was no need to just assume that Logan would leap at the chance to do something so awful, but you could never be too sure.

All in all, he felt as if this whole thing was his fault.

If he hadn’t of felt the need to try and reassure Roman that he would be fine in time and then got caught, Virgil wouldn’t have gotten worried and gone looking for him which then led to him getting caught himself. The two of them probably would have had supper together and chatted, before heading to bed. The days would have resumed and their kind would have remained unknown to the humans in the apartment.

They wouldn’t even have to consider moving, but now since Roman knew about their existence, and probably Logan too now as well, they had no other choice.

Patton could safely say that Roman only knew about him, and he was almost positive that Virgil would refuse to give up any information about him or his personal life either. The only way that would happen, would be if Logan pressed just enough to break the stubborn exterior of his companion.

That welling despair was the only thing he could focus on, but there was something else that was telling him he needed to do something. That little voice in the back of his head.

_He tried to save you. It’s only fair if you try and do the same thing for him._

He couldn’t just leave Virgil alone in this, not when he had suffered enough by himself. If anything, Virgil may already be worse off than he had been after his own capture.

While Patton had initially been terrified for his life, Roman had eventually managed to convince him that he wasn’t going to be hurt. The human had lived up to that promise, and the very few bruises on his body spoke to that honesty. Patton also didn’t have the same level of crippling anxiety that Virgil had, so he would most likely be able to hold himself together a bit better than the latter.

It was probably only a matter of time before Virgil succumbed to a panic attack and no one would be there to help him ride through it.

He knew that he would be able to do it, but it wasn’t healthy and Patton had seen the aftermath of a panic attack without his support and it broke his heart. Virgil had been exhausted and drained, he had looked so tired and helpless.

The thought made his heart ache more and he reacted quickly. Grabbing his jacket off of the chair he had set it on, he moved to the front door and slipped his bag back over his head and put his boots back on.

_He needs you now more than ever, don’t let him down._

And by God, Patton wasn’t about to.

————————

**|CHAPTER ???|**

The very idea that he was about to head back to a human that he promised himself he had left behind for the rest of his life, he knew he couldn’t do this by himself. Not when he didn’t even know where Virgil was, and who better to help him get his friend away from a human, than by getting a human to help.

Creeping through the walls quickly, his thoughts spurred on his movements. The light jog he had had going was broken quickly when he reached the living room.

It didn’t take much to figure out that Roman was watching another Disney movie, whatever those were. Logan wasn’t much of a movie watcher, more of a documentary sort of guy.

That was the kind of detail that he had noticed very earlier on when he and Virgil had first lived here. It was actually one of the ways they differentiated between the two human’s personalities when they had seen them for the first time. Him and Virgil had discussed who was the more dangerous of the pair.

Of course, both of the humans were but they always agreed on Logan, just because he was so much more driven by understanding and intuition, while Roman was much more into the fantastical, imaginative side of things.

Getting caught would never be ideal, but if they were to be, Roman may be the better choice.

_Well, maybe not._

He pushed open the outlet underneath the couch again and he let himself out, back under to where it all started in the first place. Though now, he couldn’t let himself or Virgil down. He needed to this or else he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing that his partner was out there, most likely scared out of his wits.

Shutting the outlet, Patton grabbed his hook out of his bag and swung it a few times to test the weight in his hands again. It had been a week since he had gotten to use it.

Calming himself and focusing on the task at hand, he tossed it up and managed to catch it right into the back of the couch. Tugging on it and making sure it would hold, he began to climb up. As a borrower, climbing was a necessity, and you had to know how to do it quickly and safely. If you couldn’t climb, life for you was automatically harder.

Pulling through the pains in his forearms, Patton grasped a hold of the couch’s fabric and heaved himself up onto the back of it, panting heavily as he caught his breath.

It really had been awhile since he had to do that.

It seemed that the movie was a bit louder than he thought it was, as his sounds had gone completely unnoticed by Roman. He looked to the TV for a moment, the dancing and moving colours were transfixing, but he had to focus. He wasn’t here to be awed by the magic of animation.

Though, looking to the human, he felt his stomach twist in uneasy ways. Every single reminder of what had happened that week flashing back into his head. He shook it off, as if trying to shake the memories away completely.

He steeled his nerves.

“Roman,” Patton called up, gasping as the human jolted in surprise.

The human in question had nearly flinched right off of the couch when he had heard the tiny voice, and his eyes turned to face the smaller man currently standing openly on the back of his couch. “Patton, I-”

“I don’t have time for pleasantries, Roman,” he cut the human off, the surprised look deepened in the large expression. He could hardly believe that he was going to reveal the existence of his best friend to someone that wasn’t supposed to even know they were there.

Roman caught onto the twitchy behaviour almost instantly, so he adjusted himself accordingly.

He was still rather confused why the borrower had come back in the first place, but he wasn’t going to question it. Even if he was rather happy that he came back.

“What-”

“I need your help,” he cut the human off and he watched Roman stammer for a moment, eyes widening even further.

“You need _my_ help?”

Patton nodded his head. “Yes. I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t— If I didn’t think you could help me. Can you?”

That took a moment to register. Even after everything that had gone so horribly wrong, the same person that he thought he had scared off for good was standing right in front of him. Asking for his help.

Roman nodded, trying not to look too enthusiastic. “Of course I can help.”

What did he need assistance with? Had he forgotten something and needed to get it back? Did he need something to eat? Something to drink? Of course, Roman would be happy to provide if it meant he got to earn Patton’s trust.

_After Roman knows, you need to get Virgil back and then you two have to move. It’s the safest option._

“I–” Patton took a breath, before meeting the human’s eyes. “I have a friend. He means a lot to me and he was a big part of why I wanted to go home so badly.” Before Roman could say anything—even though Patton saw that sad guilty look in his face—he spoke up. “After you let me go, I went home and he wasn’t there. He left me a note that said he came looking for me.” A small nod prompted him onward, showing that he was listening for real this time. “He wrote that note a _week_ ago and I don’t know where he is.”

Okay, that was not what Roman was expecting. He didn’t think Patton would be comfortable sharing this information, but looking at his body language, it was clear that he _wasn’t_ comfortable sharing it. Obviously his friend was supposed to remain a mystery to him, another reason why he had never been mentioned before. Of course, he had to respect that the reason Patton had said anything, was because he feared for his friend’s life.

 _“Humans are a danger to my kind, Roman,”_ he remembered Patton telling him a few nights ago, _“if they were to figure out we were here not many people would be as …_ kind _as you have been.”_

If humans were a danger, no wonder Patton had refused to out his friend to him. It made perfect sense.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked softly. He could feel for the little guy, knowing that a missing friend would be terrifying.

The more Roman thought about it, the more he realized he had been holding Patton back from not only going home, but going home to his friend. He felt so awfully guilty for it. Best friend? Boyfriend? He wasn’t sure, but he sure as hell was in no place to ask.

“I think that your roommate has him,” the offer was shy and quiet, almost ashamed to admit it. “I-I think Logan might have caught him and I can’t free him by myself.”

Well, he could try, but with how observant Logan could be and then doubling that by the fact that he would now most likely know what to look for, well, his chances weren’t looking good.

“You’d,” Roman took a moment to let everything set in. Patton was trusting him with the knowledge that his friend was captured, and then in turn trusting him to get that friend away from his roommate. Well, it did make sense. “You’d trust me like this?”

Any other time and if his chances were better, Patton most likely wouldn’t have even considered asking Roman for help. Not after everything that had happened, but everyone deserved forgiveness at some point, didn’t they?

He sighed softly, nodding his head. He then looked up, determination written across his features. “You’re the only chance I have. I can’t let him down.”

If Roman knew anything about chivalry, that had to be the definition of it. It was actually rather inspiring.

“Let’s go get your friend back,” he agreed.

Although hesitantly, he offered a hand out to the small borrower.

It felt weird, he would admit, knowing that he had just been grabbing Patton all that time, without letting him give consent to whether he wanted to be grabbed for or not. It was an uncomfortable thought, so it was only fair that he gave him the choice this time around. Whether he turned him down or not, it was alright. It would hurt, inexplicably, but he would respect the decision.

Although startled by the offer, Patton didn’t have much room to say no. Not if he wanted to get Virgil back as soon as possible. He leaned down and grabbed his hook out of the couch and coiled it back up, tucking it into his bag again.

He stepped forwards, steeling himself and accepting the hand being offered to him. As terrified as he was on the inside, he had to show that he could do this.

He accepted the lift and dropped to a crouch on the palm of his hand, keeping himself steadier that way, before offering a thumbs up to show that he was really okay.

————————

“Virgil!” The happy cry came from somewhere in front of him.

It was a scene that he never thought he would get the chance to see ever again.

Virgil had been so wrapped up in his own worries about _where_ Logan was taking him, _why_ he wasn’t explaining what was going on, that he had barely heard the other borrower’s voice.

He had been so lost in his own head, that the fact that he was staring his best friend down almost seemed like a dream. Something that his mind had conjured up to play on him like some cruel fever dream.

The fact that Patton was merely a few feet away barely registered until he felt two arms wrap around his frame and pull him into a tight hug.

He stood there for a moment, awestruck and hands hovering just above his partner’s back and he had yet to make any contact.

Patton’s hands tightened in the back of Virgil’s hoodie and he squeezed his eyes shut, just so relieved to have him back in his arms. “You’re okay,” he whispered, almost as if the words were the only thing tying him down.

_“You’re okay.”_

Those two words almost made no sense in Virgil’s head.

Then it hit him.

He _was_ fine. He _was_ okay. He had a few bruises from wear and tear, sure, but other than that, Logan had been relatively gentle, mostly belying his annoyed exterior when Virgil had refused to answer questions or speak altogether. He hadn’t been physically harmed or damaged and he could hardly believe that he got to hug his partner again, after being separated for so long.

The overwhelming sense that he was truly fine made the waterworks hit nearly full force and he couldn’t stop it.

Finally, after just standing there, he held back onto Patton, burying his face into the other’s jacket and just sobbing into it. He had never held onto anyone tighter than right now, as he just let it out. The stress, the anxiety, the fear and terror that he had gone through during the past week. Everything that he couldn’t express in words was coming out as small whimpers and cries that he couldn’t suppress.

A hand moved and rested in his hair, another started to stroke up and down his back in a reassuring, calculated pattern that he could follow. There were no surprises.

“I’ve gotcha kiddo,” Patton told him, his voice reassuring and soft and caring and everything that he needed to hear right now. “I’ve gotcha. I promise, you’re alright.”

While Patton’s eyes flickered up to Logan, he watched quietly as the human shifted nervously, almost as if he were uncomfortable with this entire situation. He always knew it, but Logan wasn’t emotionless, no matter how hard he tried to convince other people he was. His body language almost always gave him away, while his facial expressions were usually harder. He had more practice hiding his true feelings behind a mask on nonchalance.

Roman felt everything from guilt to a buzzing happiness at being able to watch the reunion, even if it did hurt a bit. To see one of them just so emotionally wrecked was painful.

Seemed Patton wasn’t the only one that had been through a rough patch. While it was obvious both him and Logan had screwed up, even if they both refused to admit it aloud, he could see that Patton was just as relieved to see his friend as Virgil was.

After a few more moments of just reassurances and sobs, the quiet was replaced again and Virgil finally pulled away from his partner, the redness in his cheeks showed the bags under his eyes a bit more prominently, but Patton didn’t mention it.

He instead kept a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked gently, and his partner nodded wordlessly.

Using the sleeves of his hoodie to rub at the wetness under his eyes, he laughed softly, almost sadly. “Man, it’s so good to see you again.”

“I know the feeling,” Patton agreed warmly. His attention then shifted to Roman. “I want to thank you, you know.” He watched as Roman started, blinking.

“I, uh, I didn’t really do anything.”

“Nonsense, you did a lot. A lot more than what I could have accomplished.” The look was almost pointed towards the other human, but he felt as if that may be overkill. “And that means a lot.”

Patton then turned on his heel and was instead facing Logan. It seemed that the startled look on said human’s face was enough to prove to him that he was ready for a lecture.

 _On basic human decency_ , Logan nearly grunted to himself.

Wasn’t it enough to say that he already knew what ways he had messed up?

“I— don’t really understand the whole need to understand everything, or science for that matter,” he fiddled with his hands a bit nervously, “and that sort of stuff usually doesn’t bode well with our kind, but I can thank you, too.”

Both Virgil and Logan startled at that. Their facial expressions nearly mirrored each other.

“Y-you _can?”_

“I don’t understand.”

Patton grinned a little bit at that, before shrugging. “Yeah, I can. After everything, and I’m sure that not everything was extremely pleasant,” which was a pointed look towards Logan, “you didn’t hurt him. At least, not from what I can see and maybe Virgil can prove me different. If anything, that’s a pretty big reason to be thanked. You could have done anything. You still _can_ do anything, to either of us. But you won’t.” He held up a hand to keep him from talking and was actually thrilled to be listened to. “I know this because you’re not a bad person, Logan. Sure, things are a bit rough here and there, but you mean well in the long run.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting. Even after spending so much time with Virgil, this tiny race still kept surprising him.

He wasn’t really expecting to get a _thank you_ after all of this, but he couldn’t really say anything against it. That and he should have known that Virgil and his friend would be absolutely different. He didn’t think so different personality wise.

“Well, I–”

“Oh just accept the compliment, you nerd,” Roman spoke up, catching the three attention. Patton laughed lightly, he couldn’t help it, while Virgil looked shocked and Logan rolled his eyes. “He’s trying to make you feel better.”

Now he was just uncomfortable. He didn’t think he should get the chance _to_ feel better about this.

“I suppose I should apologize,” was what came out instead, shocking the other three this time, “to you, specifically Virgil, and your partner in turn.” This caused the hoodie-clad borrower to look to him, surprise etched across his face. “I wasn’t exactly … accommodating.” _I had done so much wrong and yet, you’re still standing here as if none of that happened. Perhaps it’s just because you feel safe with your company_. “I apologize for the stress I must have caused you.”

There was so much Virgil had wanted to say to that. Not that he could forgive for that, not very easily, but there was something else, a bit deeper in his chest saying that Logan was really trying here and that did mean something to him.

No, he didn’t forgive someone just because he got a heartfelt apology in return, but it was a kind gesture.

It was odd, what he noticed between Patton and Roman. He didn’t trust either human, not really, but he saw that faith that Patton had put into the other. It showed that if Roman was redeemable, and that was saying a lot, then if he gave his roommate a chance, than Logan could be as well.

He nodded his head, tucking his hands back into the pockets of his hoodie and dropped his head. “Uh, thanks,” he said instead. “That, ah, that means a lot.”

At least he was acknowledging the fact that he had been wrong in the first place. There had been a couple times where he wondered if Logan would ever realize it.

The suddenness of an arm being slung around his shoulders gave him a start and he jumped a little bit, before relaxing into the touch when Patton pulled him a bit closer. “Well, as fun as all of this has been, I’m exhausted!”

Roman’s smile dropped a little bit with those words. “Are we gonna see you guys again?”

That was a good question. Virgil almost instantly said ‘hell no, I’m moving and you can’t stop me’, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the way Patton’s shoulders fell slightly at the reminder of what they had to do now.

Now that the two humans in the house knew that they were there, well, it didn’t leave very many options.

He took one of his hands out of his pocket and laid it over top of his partner’s, the one that was still resting over his shoulder idly. “Maybe— maybe we could come up with a compromise,” he spoke up. He felt Patton still next to him and his fingers interlaced with his own. He tried to ignore all of the attention and the sudden want to shy away. “Normally, if we get seen we have to leave the house altogether and, y’know, never look back, the whole shebang.”

“It would most likely be ideal if you stayed,” Logan agreed, but he was quick to explain himself, “not for us, of course, but for yourselves. I would have to assume that you’d be able to have a more balanced diet.”

“And,” Roman piped up, “you don’t always have to be so worried about being seen all the time. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything happening.”

“That … does sound pretty good,” Patton looked to Virgil as if wanted his permission to stay as well. Of course, he thought it was better, well, no one’s opinion was going to be ignored.

Except, the only thing that was keeping Virgil from outright saying something was the fact that it wasn’t just the weight of Patton’s gaze. It was Roman looking somewhat hopeful and then there was Logan who was, calculating as always, but his gaze was softer, more understanding. They all knew that staying would benefit them more, as it would be easier to get supplies and not having to move everything out of their house and trying to find another one was tempting.

He bit his lower lip, his gaze wandering back to Patton’s. The decision wasn’t for himself either, he knew. It was for his partner, and they both admittedly really liked this place. It was comfortable and the house was warm. Trying to find another place like this would be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

“Of course, you’re welcome to make your own decisions,” Logan countered again, adjusting his glasses before crossing his arms again. “If you would rather leave, we’re not going to stop you from doing that.”

‘ _We’ve done that far too much already,’_ was what was implied.

Patton’s hand tightened on his own and he already knew which side of him had won. If he could make Patton happy, then that was all that really mattered. Virgil could move himself if he really felt uncomfortable in this situation, and the idea would never come naturally and even though they knew both humans meant no harm now, well …

“Alright,” he finally said after a moment and a smaller grin overcame him when Patton laughed and wrapped him into another hug.

“Wonderful,” Roman offered the two of them a grin of his own, but it was clear that there was relief in his features.

Logan seemed satisfied with the choice, and yes, Virgil could see the relief there too. This was still a chance for him to understand such a smaller race, just on a more familiar basis. Well, he could understand that and if he could respect their privacy, than Virgil could respect his curiosity in turn.

“With that settled, I’m gonna— get going, it’s been a long week.” Patton finally released him and Virgil went to feel for his bag around himself when he remembered that it wasn’t there. He had had it confiscated at the beginning of the week.

His eyes flickered back up to Logan, who seemed a bit unsure of what he was silently asking before it clicked.

“Oh yes, of course,” he exited the room, disappearing back down the hallway for a minute or so, before he returned with the small satchel. It was obvious that Logan didn’t want to get close enough to frighten what little trust they had built away, but there wasn’t much else he could really do to avoid it either. So, he knelt and offered the bag out. He expected Virgil to be hesitant and when the borrower was, it wasn’t surprising, though it did hurt for inexplicable reasons. As he reached for the bag, Logan cleared his throat. “I would—”

“Stop.” When Virgil spoke up, Logan shut up real quick. He grabbed the bag and slid it over his shoulders and he tucked his hands into his pockets again, before shrugging a bit further back into his hoodie, finding it more of a safe space. “I don’t need to hear another apology. I get it, you feel bad and, you know what, I appreciate that.” He watched as Logan wanted to speak again, probably to talk against it — as he had found that the human liked to debate with him — and Virgil spoke first. He was really going to have to say it, wasn’t he? “It was a rough start, fine. I forgive you, alright?”

Emotions flickered over Logan’s features, almost so many as if the man himself didn’t know what to do about it. He then cleared his throat, before nodding. “I, uh, thank you.” He drew his hand back to himself.

What had gone unnoticed between the two of them, Patton sent a knowing look back to Roman, who looked nearly as smug. “C’mon kiddo,” he finally reached forwards, a hand laid against Virgil’s shoulder and gave a light tug leading backwards. “Let’s get back home.”

With a quick farewell, it didn’t take long before the two borrowers were making their ways across the floor and under the couch, already knowing that it was the closest exit. With little to no effort, Virgil maneuvered the outlet out of it’s place and let his partner in first, before sending a single glance backwards and climbing in afterwards, resetting it and making it look like it had never moved.


	3. Untitled #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Borrower!Kid!Virgil. Human!Logan and Patton.

They had promised that they’d be back soon. His mother had planted a kiss on his forehead, whispered the gentle words and then disappeared with his father back into the walls.

She had told him to stay out of the walls—contradictory to his parents advice only days prior, when they had urged him to stay away from the attic altogether unless with one of them—and stay where it was warmer. At least, she had told him it would be warmer.

Virgil sunk a bit deeper into his hoodie, pulling it up around his chin as he pulled his knees up to his chest. His back was leaning against a large box that stood much higher than he could ever dream of. A piece of large cloth was hanging out from the top of it and he had wrapped himself into just enough to keep his own body heat and the heat that the cloth seemed to save for him as well.

It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t exactly warm either. He couldn’t help but think how much warmer it would be to go home and huddle under the covers back in his bed.

But he had been told to stay in one place and to wait for them to come back. It had been nearly two days since his parents disappearance and there had been no sign of them returning. At least, not from what he could see yet.

A part of him wanted to get up and go home, to get something to eat and stay in the warmth of his home in the walls, but the other part of him—the louder part—said to stay where his parents told him in case they came back in the time that he was absent. It was those anxious thoughts that kept the seven-year-old from moving.

He let his eyes roam the room for what had to be the hundredth time since he had been left here.

The panels on the walls were ever the same, the floorboards were cracked and old. The smell of dust was absolutely everywhere and he could see the particles floating down in what little light the tiny window from the opposite side of the room allowed. It was a bit drafty too, but it wasn’t anything he was unused to.

The sound of movement from where the trapdoor was sounded and his heart thrummed in his chest. The panic that flared was nothing compared to the worry that blossomed hotly in his chest.

His parents had never prepared him to face a human on his own. The fact that they had left him alone for this long was a bit upsetting, but he knew that they would be coming back. Eventually.

Jolting into action, Virgil picked himself up and kept his hand pressed against the box, getting up on his tip-toes to peer _just_ high enough to see the light flood into the room and drench everything in a warm golden glow.

He backed up quickly, making sure to retreat behind the box and getting down onto his hands and knees. The black hoodie he wore would most likely keep him hidden from plain view if it came down to it. Though, he was hoping that whatever the human came into the attic for wouldn’t be anywhere near his hiding place. He wouldn’t be able to deal with that sort of scare, not at such a young age.

“Can you see anything?” He heard one of the voices call from further away, sounding muffled.

“Not yet,” the second voice replied and this one sounded much closer. Like he was in the same room as the kid. “The light’s got to be in here somewhere. Ah—” the light flickered to life and Virgil sunk deeper into his hiding place. “Got it.”

More shuffling sounded and he had to wonder what was going on. He didn’t have the courage to peek out. He didn’t want to risk it either. The only thing he knew was that he didn’t want to be seen. Mom and dad had told him that relentlessly.

_“Never be seen by a human, sweetheart. They may seem kind at first, but it won’t be long before they reveal their true nature. It never ends well for people our size.”_

“It sure has been a while since I’ve been up here,” the second voice said again, although it was significantly quieter. He must have been talking to himself. That wasn’t too odd. Though, his voice raised a bit louder after that. “What was it that we needed again?”

There was a sigh from further away. “Extra blankets, Patton. The others were stained with wine. They won’t be washed and dried in time.”

“Right.”

With a startling realization, Virgil finally understood what was in the box he was currently hiding behind. The blankets that the human was probably looking for. Which then meant that the human would be coming over _this way_ to get them. Which then meant that he might be seen if he didn’t do something _right now._

Sucking in a sharp noise as the shuffling sounds got louder, he knew he needed to move. He needed to move and get somewhere else. He would have to disobey his parents just this once and get back into the walls, at least until Patton took the blankets and left again.

He had thought that attics were there for stuff that no one wanted. No one usually came up here!

Scrambling farther back, he needed to map out his options here, but his panic was starting to get the better of him. Quickly, he began to scan the area he was in, the box was on one side of him and there was another box behind him and to the left of him. His stomach dropped when he realized how he had cornered himself. He could try and push the box behind him, but not only would that grab the human’s attention if he ever managed to get it to move, but he was probably too small to even get it to budge a millimeter.

If he was lucky, then his black clothing would keep him hidden in the shadows and he would be completely overlooked. When the box was removed, he would be able to make his run for it.

He had to wait.

“Ah-ha!” The ecstatic voice came from much too close for comfort and then the scraping sounds of movement happened again. “There. I knew we had some up here, just had to find them. Brush the dust off, they should be fine!”

His stomach churned uneasily the louder the sounds got and it took only seconds before he could hear the blankets being moved around in the box. He watched as the small piece he had been using for warmth and comfort was lifted and tucked into the box was well, before the large flaps above him were folded inwards.

The box began to move, a noise of surprise coming from the human trying to lift it in response. “Heavier than you look,” the joke was followed by a quiet laugh and Virgil flinched as he watched a hand come from around the side of the box and dip under the bottom of it. Then, with an incredible amount of strength, the human seemed to be able to lift box the box off of the ground. He briefly remembered that because of this, his hiding spot would be revealed in a matter of seconds.

He could only hope that the human would be too preoccupied with the box he had, that he wouldn’t even think to check the same place twice. There was only so much a dark hoodie would be able to do for you when the spot was flooded with light.

Terrified for his safety at this point, he needed to try and figure a way out of this mess before anything else happened. It was bad enough already that he was almost completely exposed, there had to be an exit now. Somewhere where he could crawl away inconspicuously.

It seemed that the moment he decided to move, was the same moment that the box of blankets and quilts slipped from the human’s hands and it fell with a loud, startling thud a few paces away from him. A quiet swear—if one could even call _“good bloody gracious”_ a swear—came from above.

The cry that he had released had not been a quiet one and, from the scare, Virgil had ended up on his back, propped up by his elbows as he watched with wide eyes as a pair of black rimmed glasses with shinning brown eyes hidden behind them turned in his direction, only to pause when the both of them locked eyes.

The only thing Virgil could hear was his heartbeat. The loud and quick thrumming of it as it pounded against his rib cage, his breaths coming in and out, in and out, in and out without really taking in any oxygen.

He was on the verge of a panic attack.

Though, where his parents had told him he would see disgust on a human’s features, he instead watched as Patton’s seemed to soften. Almost looking like he was concerned.

 _Yeah right. He’s trying to lure you into a false sense of security. You can’t get out of this mess, you’re trapped._ He choked on a noise closely resembling a sob.

“Hey, hey,” Patton finally broke the silence quietly, watching as the boy’s terrified expression turned back up to him. The features were small, but it was easy to tell just how scared the little guy was. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurtcha.”

Though, the words of reassurance didn’t really seem to be doing anything, he continued with it anyways.

While he was at a lack for words for the most part, there was the underlying worry about how long the kid had been there. Did he live here too? How old was he and where were his parents? He looked much too young to be living on his own, but then again, looks could be deceiving. Patton had met a few people that looked rather young, but their ages had been much farther off than he would have guessed. He had met a young woman that looked like she was in her late teens and was actually in her mid-to-late twenties.

When the kid didn’t seem to move, nor did he react in a positive manner, he bit into his lip nervously. Perhaps the little one couldn’t talk, maybe that’s why.

Or maybe he had scared him silent. The thought hurt his heart, but he would understand.

“Are you alright?” He tried again, trying to at least get something from the boy. When he dropped the box, it must have startled him. He had a feeling that the kid was trying to hide from him, and even though that did hurt for inexplicable reasons, he understood that too.

Virgil knew this was crazy. It was _insane_. Why hadn’t the human grabbed him yet? Why was he just talking to him? Why wasn’t he _doing anything?!_ The wave of fear washed over him again, flooding cold through his veins as the human shifted. He tensed and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to be snatched up, or in the worst case scenario— No. Now was not the time.

Tears brimmed as he waited for the inevitable. When it never came. Instead, there was silence yet again.

Hesitantly, Virgil cracked his eyes open again. He gasped when he found that the human was still watching him so intently. The water that had risen finally spilled over and he choked on a sob. Almost as soon as he had broken, he lifted his hand to his mouth and tried to stifle the noise. What if showing this sort of weakness only made the human mad? He wouldn’t be able to handle something like that! He could hardly handle someone _looking_ at him!

A small noise came from above and he watched as Patton’s eyes softened further. “Awe, kiddo, hey.”

Movement in his peripheral vision caught Virgil by surprise and he cried out when his brain registered what exactly was moving. It was one of the human’s hands and it was coming right for him.

Cringing away from it, he sobbed again. “W-wait!” He pleaded, his voice cracking and breaking as he choked on his breath. “Ple-please don’t! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t— I d-didn’t mean— just p-please don’t!”

Startled by the outburst, Patton’s hand moved quickly back towards himself. While he was relieved to hear the boy speak, pleading wasn’t exactly the way he had hoped it would happen. He then blinked, watching as the tiny being seemed to curl himself into an even tighter little ball, his hands over his head as if he was trying to defend himself from something.

Before he could say anything though, there was another voice entering the mix. “Patton, for goodness sake, they’re in a box labelled _blankets,_ what on earth are you doing up there?”

Looking over his shoulder, he knew that Logan was starting to get irritated. He had been up for a while now and the other was standing at the bottom of the rickety ladder waiting for the box of blankets to be passed down to him. He couldn’t just not give those to him.

On the other hand, Patton knew that the moment he got up to give said box away, the creature currently cowering away from him would make a break for it, and while he wanted the little guy to have as much freedom as possible, he wasn’t planning on keeping the boy—Heaven’s no! He seemed to be able to fully function on his own—but he also seemed too young to be on his own like this and from how thin he looked and how baggy that sweater seemed to be on his frame, he wasn’t eating well.

That and there seemed to be no sign of his parents. which led him to believe that the boy either had no parents or, if worst came to worst, he had been abandoned by his parents.

“Patton, did you hear me?”

“Uh, yeah,” he called over his shoulder, keeping his gaze down on the shivering figure in front of him, “I have them right here. Give me a minute.”

“It’s already been ten minutes, how much more time do you need?”

The sarcasm was there, so Patton didn’t answer. Instead, he planted his hands down in front of himself as he adjusted his position. He moved so he was instead sitting on his knees and kept his hands where they were for balance. He watched as his shadow, unintentionally, completely enveloped the tiny form.

“I just want to know if you’re okay,” he promised quietly, wanting nothing more than to assure him that he would be alright. It was so painfully obvious that the kid was terrified that he was going to hurt him, even though Patton had told him before that that wasn’t the case. He had no intentions of doing something of the like. “You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to. I know you’re scared kiddo, but I’m really not going to hurt you.”

Virgil hiccuped, using his sleeves to rub the wetness from his eyes, but the frightened tears just wouldn’t stop coming. He couldn’t get his breathing under control either, there was just so much going on that he didn’t understand. So much happening that he had no control over, it was pushing his anxiety over the edge.

Swallowing thickly, he sniffled again, keeping his knees curled up to his chest and tucking his hands there as well, slid into the sleeves and keeping them there.

He knew that the human had asked a question and if he refused to answer, he may be pushing his luck. Yes, he had been told he wasn’t going to be hurt. Did that mean he trusted it? Not at all. His father had driven home the fact that humans would lie to gain their trust only to have it used against them.

He shivered, his nails biting into the skin on his palms as he laid there, just looking upwards. Honestly, he had never thought he’d ever actually have to face either of the people that lived in this house down, yet here he was, contrary to everything he had hoped.

An answer rose to his lips, but a hiccup kept him from saying anything and he instead used his sleeve to rub at his face again, trying desperately to clean himself up at least a little bit. “I-I …”

The gentleness never seemed to leave the human’s features and Virgil flinched as Patton’s hand moved, only to be relieved when he was pushing his glasses back up. “It’s alright, you don’t have to talk to me. You can just nod or shake your head, okay?”

 _What?_ The kid only blinked at that, still trying to stifle his sniffles. This entire situation shouldn’t even be happening and yet Virgil had made no attempt to even try and escape.

None of this made sense. None of it.

His parents had always sworn up and down that a human would do anything to get their hands on you, and here Patton was, completely throwing that stigma out the window, and it literally made _no sense at all_.

The quiet held between them and Virgil watched as the human seemed to get a bit more hesitant. “Look, I just— do you feel okay?”

Well, it had been said that he didn’t need to speak, so mustering up just enough courage, Virgil nodded his head. He hadn’t been hurt, if that’s what was worrying him so badly, to be honest, there was nothing that had happened that could cause injury to him. Perhaps the box being dropped, but he was still sat far enough away from it that it hadn’t even been a concern. If anything, when the box had slipped, the only thing he had been worried about was the noise and then the revelation of his hiding space.

Well, Patton seemed satisfied enough with that answer. His hands twitched on the floor for a moment, before his eyes danced back over his shoulder. “Good, that’s good,” he spoke up, voice quiet. Almost as if he was at a loss of what to say. Something else was bothering him though. “Where are your parents?”

A part of him thought that maybe the little one didn’t have any parents. He hated to think that he really had been abandoned up here in the attic like this, but there seemed to be no sign of other tiny people around.

That seemed to be the wrong question to ask at this point, as he watched the tears begin to overflow the boy’s eyes again. He winced in sympathy. Well, guess that meant he may have been left here.

How could someone just leave their kid behind? So out in the open and so vulnerable? It was sickening.

Patton bit his lower lip in uncertainty, wanting to reach out and comfort him, but knowing that doing so would only cause a negative reaction. He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. There was a deep feeling, niggling in his chest. Something that was telling him he couldn’t just leave the boy to fend for himself, it wouldn’t be fair. And frankly, he’d feel awful about it later on.

The tiny cries were trying to be stifled again and he felt his heart ache. The little one didn’t want him to hear it and his heart broke.

He had to make a choice.

“I— I know you have no reason to trust me,” he broke the silence, startling the tiny brown eyes to look back up into his own, the tears shinning within them. He had to do this. “But, if you want, and you can absolutely say no to this and I’ll understand, you can come with me for a little bit and I can warm you up, get you something to eat if you’d like.” There was still that look of terror upon the tiny features, but there was also something else there. A flourish of different feeling.

Virgil didn’t know if he was being serious or not. Was this for real? Was this a test or something? He had a feeling that putting his trust into a human could only backfire, but, if it meant getting warm and getting something to eat, could the promise really be that bad?

 _Of course it can be!_ The other part of his mind argued, the louder part. _You can’t trust a human, it doesn’t matter what they offer you!_

His eyes only watered more. Stubbornly, he raised a hand and rubbed them away, letting his eyes drop down to the hardwood floor beneath them both. There was so much that he wanted to do. He wanted to turn and run and never look back, he wanted to take Patton up on the offer. He wanted to get back home and pretend that this never happened.

He just wanted his parents to come back and rescue him from this situation entirely, telling him that it was all a test while his mother swept him into her arms.

_They’re never coming back. Your parents left you. You know that. The human knows that. What good are you?_

Instead, his shoulders bunched, his hands clenched, fighting a war within himself. The instincts that had been instilled into him since the day he could walk and talk, to the want to listen to what was being promised to him. It sounded so nice.

Then he relaxed. He slumped forwards and nodded his head. His exhausted cries were loud and heartbroken and he didn’t want to contain it inside anymore.

If he was caught and kept, so what? Nothing mattered anymore. Not when his parents had given him an airy promise and then fled.

He couldn’t do it anymore. Keeping too much emotion inside had led to a break in his somewhat calm facade and had prompted an almost instant parental urge from the adult not a few inches away from him. Now, more than ever, Patton wanted so badly to just scoop the kid up and shield him from all danger. Like this, the boy was barely two inches tall at most and everything in the world was a threat to such a vulnerable life.

He was even more surprised when he watched as two tiny hands reached up in his direction, a motion that he was familiar with from human children. The universal sign of ‘pick me up’.

Well, if he didn’t do anything, it was possible the little one would take that the wrong way. So, as carefully as he possibly could, he reached forwards, a slow enough pace that he would let the boy know he was moving and not to be afraid. When nothing short of a small flinch was what he got, Patton had a bit more confidence when it came to picking him up. So, with steady movements, he brought the child into his palms and, with a steady pace, moved to bring his cupped hands to rest against his chest for stability. He sat back on his haunches again as he looked down at the shivering child in his hands.

Who could have thought that leaving their kid was even remotely okay?

“Shh, shh, you’re safe,” he soothed quietly, just as Virgil grabbed a hold of the shirt he was wearing. Holding onto it as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded. As if it were a lifeline. Such impossibly tiny hands, so fragile. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve gotcha, kiddo. I’ve gotcha.”

Virgil knew that he shouldn’t have felt as safe as he did, especially when being held completely at the mercy of this strange human, but there was also something telling him, far in the back of his mind, that there was nothing to be scared of, not anymore.

He felt surrounded and the heat was calming. So, as he cried himself hoarse, he was met with nothing more than soothing words and a comforting presence.

“You’re okay.”

And for the first time in a long time, he felt that way too.

—————————

The box of blankets was pushed to the edge of the opening in the trapdoor, where a rather irritated Logan stood at the bottom. His arms were crossed and the way he looked unimpressed, well, Patton couldn’t blame him.

Then again, Patton hadn’t really planned on finding a tiny, abandoned child in the attic either.

Nudging the box just a bit further, Logan was able to reach up and accept it into his arms. A bit surprised at the weight, but he held his balance, before setting them down on the ground in front of him. Though, he did have a few choice words to say to his accomplice when he got down the ladder.

Still, cupped in his hands, the little boy had seemed to have tired himself out, and well, Patton couldn’t say that was a bad thing. Perhaps it was better that he had anyways. He seemed to have had so much pent up inside that a little bit of rest wouldn’t hurt anything, especially not in the long run.

Carefully, he maneuvered him into one hand, which was tucked steadily against his chest and he descended the ladder as slowly as possible. As soon as he had reached solid ground again, there were more pressing matters.

“What in God’s good name took you so long to get the—”

Logan’s soon-to-be-rant was cut off almost instantly as Patton turned to face him, a look saying that he didn’t need to hear it right now.

“I’m sorry it took so long,” was the only thing the other male got in response, before Patton was brushing past him and disappearing down the hallway and around the corner, the closing of a door promptly followed.

To say that Logan’s curiosity wasn’t peaked would be a lie.


	4. Untitled #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logicality and adopted!Virgil, one shot #1  
> This one is complete.

_“They’re just going to give you back, you know that.”_

_“Even your human parents didn’t want you. What makes you think they do?”_

_“Everyone knows that they’re picking you out of pity.”_

These were the voices that kept Virgil up at night. The ones that kept him awake and wondering. He knew that he shouldn’t let the other kids words get to him, but when he was laying awake at awful times of the night replaying the situations, it was hard to ignore them.

_“Who in the world would actually want a human child? It’s a pity really. There are so many better choices.”_

_“Size difference is just going to make their job harder.”_

_“Don’t get ahead of yourself. They’ll realize you’re worthless soon enough and you’ll be here with us again.”_

The kids at the orphanage had been unnecessarily cruel. He had done nothing to provoke them so it was hard to understand why they were picking on him out of all of the other kids that were so much worse off than he was.

True, he wouldn’t wish this misfortune on someone else, but there were days where he had wished he wasn’t the only target.

Virgil guessed it was because he had been the only human in that orphanage. All of the other kids had been so much bigger than he had been. He was the easy target while the other kids seemed to be protected, he was there to suffer alone.

There had been one nice woman there, Lillian. She had taken care of him, gotten him out of rough situations, but she wasn’t always there when he had needed a softer touch for once.

Even now, after being adopted into a home with two parents that claimed to love him as their own child, he still had his doubts.

Patton and Logan had been nothing but kind. Nothing but understanding and patient with him, but Virgil was honestly terrified that the kids were right. That they would finally realize that he wasn’t worth the effort and he would instead be brought back and they’d choose a kid that was better suited to them.

The movie that they had been watching was long since forgotten for him, and by the time he actually looked back up, there was the ending of _Mulan_ rolling in front of him.

Virgil had honestly insisted that for the movie night — since it had been a tradition before he had been adopted into the house—they could choose what movie they wanted to watch.

Patton had assured him that it was okay if they watched something Virgil wanted to. Logan had agreed and that had put the twelve-year-old into an uncomfortable position.

He had asked for a Disney movie and he hadn’t even watched most of it. He felt guilt sink into his stomach like a rock and he dropped his head to rest on his knees, his arms folding over the top of them so he could hide his face.

He had made them watch a kid’s movie and he hadn’t paid attention to it _._

_“You’re really pathetic, you know that? You’re tiny, frail and more than annoying.”_

The familiar feeling of heat rising behind his eyes caused him to hide his face. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin another perfectly good moment of silence with his worries.

Virgil knew he was testing their patience. It really was only a matter of time before everything crumbled around him. The small safety net that had been created for him would soon fall and he would have no choice but to go back to the orphanage and face those smug faces again. The ones that would say _‘I told you so’_ the moment he was back in the playroom.

He was anxious almost all of the time. He was wary and jumped at almost everything. He had made Patton feel bad on multiple occasions when he had done something completely normal and Virgil had felt frightened by accident.

All of these negative qualities and he could hardly feel like a kid his own age should.

Before he knew it, he could feel the couch shifting as the end credits of the movie started to roll and though there was silence, he was almost sure that they were talking silently above him. That silent communication that the kids at the orphanage had always been able to use. He _knew_ for a fact that when Patton and Logan did it, there was no ill intent.

When he felt the wetness on his face, Virgil knew that he had to keep his head down. He really didn’t want to be found upset _again_. He would only feel worse at this point.

The couch shifted again and then there was the sounds of something being cleaned up and the telltale sounds of one of them leaving the room altogether.

“Hey, something the matter?”

That was the only question he really didn’t want to answer right now. He didn’t think he would be able to face down that overwhelming care in those large brown eyes. He wouldn’t be able to take it and he knew that the sadness he felt now would be nothing compared to what would happen if he lifted his head.

A warmth appeared behind his back and he nearly flinched, just refraining. It wasn’t that he was unused to contact, he had plenty of it back with the other kids, but this _gentle_ contact was still new.

Before he could stop it, Virgil hiccuped and he nodded his head.

_“You’re just going to be a burden on them. You really don’t have any redeeming qualities. I feel bad for the people adopting you. You’re more trouble than you’re worth.”_

“Aw, hey, you’re okay,” he heard Patton’s voice fall into something softer, comforting. It only coaxed out more of a sob from the kid and Virgil lifted his head finally, looking up to meet his eyes.

It took Patton half a second to really see how upset the boy was.

“You okay, kiddo?”

Virgil shook his head. He really wasn’t okay and he couldn’t lie to himself and he really couldn’t lie to someone that seemed to care so genuinely about him.

He felt the hand from behind him move and he raised his own to rub at the tears slowly trailing down his cheeks, watching as Patton shifted himself to sit a bit more comfortably on the couch and turn to face him. Then, two hands lifted up in front of him, cupped together and caring.

He was offering comfort and Virgil would have to be crazy to not accept it.

He slid from his spot on the back of the couch and he instead allowed himself to be swaddled and cupped. He pressed his hands on the one that was nearly four times his size and he sniffled again.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” Patton was slow and careful with his movements. He leaned back on the couch a bit and sunk a bit lower into the cushions, holding his cupped hands closer to him, but far enough that he could keep an eye on the boy in his palms.

Virgil almost couldn’t find the words to say anything. Sitting in silence wouldn’t help him, so, he tried his best. “I-I’m …”

“Hey, hey,” Patton soothed, “it’s okay. You can take a moment.”

He shook his head, sitting back and stretching his legs out. Using both hands to rub at the wetness that wouldn’t stop. “I’m just- I’m just a burden t-to you and Logan …”

“What?”

“I-I know that you guys’ll be taking m-me back soon. And that- that’s okay-”

The way he had said it, showed that there was no way he was okay with that. Neither was Patton. Where in the world had Virgil gotten that idea?

“I understand if you guys don’t want me anymore … I’ve been nothing but trouble.”

“Hold your horses,” Patton finally cut him off, catching the kid off guard and causing him to look up at him, blinking those terribly sad eyes as well. He felt a tug in his chest, but he couldn’t allow his own emotions to get to him right now. “Who said Logan and I are taking you back?”

Virgil’s shoulders dropped at that. A dejected slump in his curved back. “The kids back at the orphanage. They said that you guys only chose me out of pity. That it was … was only a matter of time before you realized that I’m a burden.”

“A burden?” Patton repeated, as if he couldn’t believe it. “Virgil, you’re anything but a burden.” He watched as the kid opened his mouth to say something more, but he hushed him gently. “I know what I said. You can’t change my mind, and secondly, we’re not going to take you back.”

“I- I don’t understand,” his voice broke and he was cooed to almost instantly.

“We chose you for a reason, we’re not going to back on it.” The explanation made sense, but Virgil knew this because legal papers take forever to actually go through for affirmation. “It’d be cruel to go back on that.”

_See? It’s not because they want you. It’s because they already went through the trouble of legally adopting you. Who would want to go through that twice?_

The thought made another sob escape and he hid his face again. He was already seen as small and weak and this was probably reinforcing that ideology, but he didn’t care right now. There was just so much pent up inside. There was just so much that he needed to let out.

These were the emotions that he didn’t want anyone to see. He hadn’t wanted them to even see the light of day, much less break down in front of his legal guardian.

“How long has this been bothering you, kiddo?”

He didn’t answer, and that was answer enough.

Patton took a moment, trying to find the right way to phrase what he wanted to say. “You know that Lo and I love you, right?” When he didn’t get an answer again, he knew this went deeper than what the kids had told him. This went to his own personal feelings about this whole situation. “You don’t feel like you deserve a home, do you?”

When Virgil’s sobs got louder—which broke his heart, the poor little one had been suffering for so long and he hadn’t even _known_ —he knew he had guessed right.

Virgil didn’t see himself worthy of getting to have a loving home. Whether that was because of his size, or if that was because of something that had happened in his past. The lady at the orphanage had said that he had been treated less-than-kindly by his birth parents, so that possibly had a large impact on the boy and his self-confidence. Which then translated to whenever something good was happening, he would assume it was only for a short while.

“Aw, kiddo,” he brought his hands closer to himself, almost as if he were shielding the tiny kid from the rest of the world. “You deserve so much more than what Logan and I can offer you.” And the kid really did.

If he had been dealing with kids that had constantly been after him, saying such awful things, then Virgil really did deserve so much more than what he or Logan could give him.

“N-no.” Patton was shocked to hear Virgil say anything at first, and he turned his attention down to him, watching silently as he tried to catch his breath. “You- you’ve already done so much-” he choked on his words a moment, before taking a breath and speaking again. “I j-just don’t know how I’m supposed to make it- make it up to you …”

Patton smiled softly at that, before shaking his head, letting his thumb stroke gently up the kid’s back in a fashion of comfort. It was the most he could offer. “You don’t have to do that,” he told him, feeling a bit more content when Virgil started to relax finally, allowing the comforting touch to _actually_ comfort him. “You don’t have to make anything up to us. We already love you, what more can we ask for?”

A moment of quiet passed and Virgil had finally managed to catch enough of his breath, before rubbing his eyes and clearing the water from them. “Thank you,” his voice was shaky, but he was trying.

“Of course.” After a quick glance to the clock, it was shown to be just after 11:30 and it was starting to edge on the later side of the night. “Come on, why don’t we get you to bed, huh?”


	5. Untitled #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logicality and adopted!Virgil one shots #2

Virgil’s hands tightened in the blanket he had draped around his shoulders. It wasn’t necessarily cold, but it was more for a comfort reason than to keep himself warm.

It was a nerve wracking thing that he was about to do. It was the first time he had disturbed Patton and Logan in the middle of the night. All because of a petty nightmare.

_That’s right. It was just a nightmare. Turn around and leave them alone. You’re just going to be a bother._

Maybe this really was a bad idea. He couldn’t do this.

But … the monster that was stood at the window earlier tonight flashed back into his head and Virgil swallowed nervously. The twelve-year-old let out a small, choked noise before steeling his nerves the best he could. Even as he looked up towards the side of the bed, he was terrified. Not of his parents, but of the idea of what could happen if he didn’t say something.

He had been having the same reoccurring nightmare for the past few nights and this was the first time he had done anything other than suffer alone with it.

Taking in a gentle breath, he bit into his lower lip. “D-Dad?”

He knew he was quiet, and he was really hoping that Patton had heard him. He felt his heart stammer when there was movement on the bed. The creaking of the springs, and then there was quiet again.

Maybe he hadn’t been heard. That was okay.

_Leave now. Pretend this didn’t happen and then just go back to sleep._

If only it was that easy.

“Dad?” He tried again, this time raising his voice a bit more, hoping for something better than a shift in the bed. He needed a bigger reaction.

_You’re being needy. You don’t need this much attention from them. You’re probably just a burden. Go back to bed and ignore this._

He startled back a moment, hearing the bed creaking again but this time, he watched as two tired eyes peered over the edge of the bed, searching for his form in the darkness.

“Virgil?”

So, turns out, he didn’t wake Patton like he had thought and had instead grabbed Logan’s attention.

More movement above him sounded and he watched as Logan grabbed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and then his eyes were back on the small human form on the ground.

He froze. He _really_ hadn’t meant to wake him up. “S-sorry Logan,” Virgil spoke up, pulling the blanket up to his chin and trying to hide away in that instead, since he was lacking his hoodie. “I— I didn’t mean to wake you.”

No, Logan wasn’t the best when it came to reading people, even less so when he was trying to read Virgil. The boy was tiny, young and shy. He had caught onto the fact that the boy tended to shy away from attention even when he wanted it.

Admittedly, he was a bit annoyed, but there was no reason to show it. Not with how fragile the trust they had built with Virgil was. The kid was still jumpy, even after how long they had been together. It was actually sort of disheartening how much Virgil would react negatively to normal, every day actions. Though, there was always that apologetic look that he gave Logan and Patton almost every time.

The one that said he didn’t mean it. The one that begged them to be gentle if punishment was coming.

It was sad. He had been so abused by his birth parents, that he was worried they would do the same thing to him. Each and every time that scared-broken look appeared, it was met with a gentle smile and calming reassurance.

So, he spoke up, but kept his voice quiet enough to not wake Patton. “No, that’s alright, there’s no need to apologize,” he told him, “is something the matter?”

There was something in his chest, tugging at him. He had an idea of what had brought Virgil in here. Especially at this time of night.

There was an inner struggle. Virgil didn’t know whether he wanted to be honest about why he was here, or if he should just brush it off and pretend nothing was wrong.

Before he knew it, he was nodding his head. “Y-yeah.”

Logan was almost positive that he wasn’t going to get more than that, so, he inquired himself. “Did you have a nightmare?”

A heartbeat of silence. “…yeah.”

He wasn’t surprised. Not in the least.

There were a couple ways to distract someone from a nightmare. When Patton woke with one, he usually needed a comforting touch, before distracting him with a movie or a TV show. It would allow for his mind to be led elsewhere. Perhaps that’s what Virgil needed as well. Even though they had had him for a year and a half by now, this seemed to be the first time the kid was comfortable enough coming to them with his problems and admitting that he was scared.

Though, Logan hated to think about it, he had a feeling that Virgil had most likely suffered through other nightmares because of the want to not wake Patton or himself in the middle of the night, probably fearing the worst reactions.

“That’s alright,” he told him, watching as the kid’s eyes raised to his own. So, to distract him, he would take him out to the living room and they could put something on. “Why don’t we go to the living room and watch something?”

Virgil blinked. “I-I don’t want to keep you up. I know you have work tomorrow and—”

He was cut off when a hand lowered down in front of him, a metal wedding ring glinting in the moonlight that snuck in between the drapes. The kid stepped back a moment, a bit startled by the action, before looking back up more hopefully. His blanket loosened around his shoulders.

“Nonsense,” he was told, a small reassuring smile alighted Logan’s features and he nodded his head towards his hand, “I’ve stayed up much later than one in the morning. Come on.”

It took a moment, but soon the human was moving and he was climbing into the offered palm, knelt down and covering himself with the blanket for warmth and for comfort.

His stomach dropped as the other male moved, but it certainly wasn’t as fast as he had assumed it would have been. Logan was being careful and calculating his movements just enough not to topple him, which, well, he was thankful for.


	6. Untitled #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logicality and adopted!Virgil one shot #3

“Today’s the day!”

“I know they’re going to want me!”

“I hope not, we’d all miss you too much!”

“If someone get’s adopted, it’s gonna be me, of course!”

The excited cheers of the other children were really all he could focus on, even as the words of the book he was currently reading had once enveloped his entire attention. Now, they just felt hollow.

It was like this every week. They had something called a ‘viewing day’ where adults and couples got to come in and explore around, getting to meet the orphans. Getting to know them and getting to know who they had an attachment to and which kid got to go home with them.

At least someone every week got adopted, but there were always the few weeks where the parents came in and didn’t mesh with any of the kids. They would go to the Headmaster, apologize before leaving.

Then, there was the fact that every adult that had come in to this orphanage had taken one good look at him and turned around almost instantly afterwards.

It was probably for the fact that he was the only human in the entirety of this place and who wanted to take care of a kid that was so small?

“I heard the Headmaster saying that they’re a gay couple.”

“You’d have to be really lucky to be taken in by two dads.”

“Right? Imagine if you ever had a nightmare. Double dad protection!”

“Maybe they’ll want two kids and two of us will get lucky!”

“Yeah! Who do you think _is_ going to get adopted today?”

“Well, I think we all know for sure who’s _not_ going to get adopted today,” a voice said from the side, causing Virgil to look up in surprise. In all honesty, he shouldn’t have been as surprised to see Julian standing a few feet away, his shadow nearly engulfing the kid. He had said it behind his hand, as though it was meant to be a secret who they were talking about.

The girl on his right giggled before nodding her head. “Even his human parents didn’t want him.”

“Hear that, Virgil?” Julian took a few steps closer to the human, leaning over just enough so that this time, he _was_ looming. It was an intimidation factor and it had been used on him multiple times, he wasn’t really affected anymore.

“Thank you for your input, Julian,” Virgil shrugged his shoulders, adjusting himself to sit a bit more comfortably on his knees, “but I recommend you go and take your attitude somewhere else.”

“Now you watch it you little pest,” he shot back, his eyes growing stony and he leaned forwards further, this time towering over the small human. “If Lillian didn’t like you so much, me and the other kids would have gotten rid of you already.”

While the sinking feeling in his stomach told Virgil that Julian was probably telling the truth, he sneered. “Go back and cry to the Headmaster, you’re good at that.”

A snort from the girl standing beside Julian caught both of the boy’s attentions, before she laughed louder. It was obvious she thought that Julian being stood up to by a human was hilarious. To be honest, the prospect was almost comical in a way.

Looking agitated and ashamed, he wanted to say something, but it seemed like he couldn’t think of any stinging remarks. Not like it would be _hard,_ to hurt the human’s feelings, it was more just getting him to _show_ that he was hurt. That was the hard part when it came to insulting him. The words that were said could do serious damage, but he would never let it show for fear of having that used against him as well.

Julian clenched his hands into fists before pointing towards the human sitting on the open book. “This isn’t over, you little mistake.”

Virgil only shrugged his shoulders, letting his eyes scan down the page he was reading. “I’m glad we could continue our talk later.”

The girl next to him giggled again and Julian seemed to get redder in the face, so instead, he stomped away, shoulders tensed and bunched and angry as ever.

As soon as Julian left and his groupies followed suit, Virgil could relax and he let out a small breath. His shoulders slumped forwards and he just took a few moments to breathe. It was bad enough that he was the only human in the orphanage, but did the other kids really have to keep rubbing in the fact that he would most likely age out of the system before he was adopted?

It was just unnecessary and cruel.

Though, he supposed that was their reasoning. The more they could solidify his fears of never finding a loving home was a good way to hurt him. It was certainly effective when it came to his own deprecating thoughts.

“They’re here!” An excited squeal came from the front of the playroom and he looked up, hearing the chatter starting up almost instantly again.

The playroom got much louder than it usually was on normal days and it made his stomach sink like a rock.

Like the other kids, he should have been excited about the chance of adoption today. Though, it had been proven time and time again that no one wanted such a small kid.

He also knew what was about to happen. It happened every time.

The other kids would be dressed in their best clothes—he was as well, he had to admit, but he didn’t really have much to wear in the first place—and they would gather their toys and such, magic cards or beanie bags and would start to practice even more so than usual. It was like a warm up. The other orphans showcased their skills to draw the attention of the couple or of the single mother or father that came looking for a child, hoping that skill would be enough to draw their attention.

There were kids like Julian that loved that attention, wanting to hog all of it and keep it centered on themselves. Then, there were kids like Virgil, that kept to themselves and waited for the adults to approach them for a conversation.

The one thing that made him so much different from the other quiet kids was that he usually tried to actively avoid being noticed by any of the people that entered the orphanage in hopes of finding a child. He liked to stay tucked away in the reading nook, surrounded by the books he enjoyed reading the most and staying away from the limelight and wanting nothing more than to be ignored.

Though, there was a deep feeling within his chest that said that he only wanted a loving home, like any other nine-year-old. Like any other kid, he wanted to be held, to feel cherished by someone. To maybe feel like he belonged somewhere for once.

He shook it off. Not many adults spent enough time getting to know him anyway.

The most conversation he had had with someone who had come in, they had just made a short comment and decided that he wasn’t worth the time. It was almost worse when someone did that instead of just taking one look at him and pretending he wasn’t there. It was almost as if they were giving him false hope, only to see someone better and acting as if they had never even talked to him.

It hurt for many different reasons, but letting that show was never something that he could do. If an adult saw that sad, hopeless, helpless part of him, he knew that it would drive them away even faster than his size did.

Whatever. Whoever came in that door wouldn’t pay attention to him anyways, so why should be pay any attention to them?

He moved his attention back down onto the sentence he had been reading before being so rudely interrupted by Julian and his gaggle of jerks. Shifting so he was sitting back on his knees, his hands were pressed down against the words that were almost bigger than his hands stretched out to the entirety of their extent.

He tried to get back into the rhythm that he had been in, but it seemed to be gone. Just what he needed. To lose his motivation to read, this was not the time he wanted to be social.

When the doors did open though, the chatter heightened and the kids started to bustle around more. It was much quieter by the book nook, as not many kids escaped over here. Certainly not when Virgil was either. He had overheard many kids whispering to each other that his size made him weird. If he was back in his normal part of the city, no, his size would be deemed normal, if a bit short for his age. Compared to the rest of the kids here, he was very much short for his age.

He scanned the two at the entrance he noticed how bubbly and excited one looked, while his partner looked almost uncomfortable and overwhelmed.

The children were almost swarming, it was simple to tell who was just so eager to be noticed while other kids stayed sitting on their bunks playing card games or attempting magic tricks that they had heard about online or on TV.

Other kids pretended to race each other around the room, using toys as the finish line before giggling. Some even told jokes, snickering to each other as if to draw enough attention. Julian was standing proudly near a soccer ball on the other side of the room. The twelve-year-old wanted all of the attention and he knew how to get it normally.

Virgil rolled his eyes, before pushing back on his knees and standing up, brushing himself up and reaching under the page he had just been sitting on and doing his best to flip it over. It took a few tries, before he managed to do it successfully.

He pulled himself back up onto the book and stepped over onto the left page and sat down about five sentences from the top. Far enough that he could still read it without having to move positions too much, but close enough that he could read everything perfectly fine.

When he had lost himself once again in the fictional world of Harry Potter and his friends, he had barely registered the thudding footsteps heading in his direction.

His shoulders tensed when he felt a shadow fall over him, only to drop a bit more as the person lowered to a sit.

_Oh, please don’t be Julian. Please, don’t be Julian._

“Trying to escape from the madness as well?”

That … that _wasn’t_ Julian.

Virgil’s eyes almost moved instantly from the part he had been reading before turning to look over his shoulder and instead seeing the second man from the pair sitting on the love-seat bench tucked comfortably into the nook of the bookshelf.

The brown eyes were focused down on him, peering through the black lenses and the kid almost didn’t know how to respond.

This adult had willingly started a conversation with _him_. Had the Headmaster said something to him? Had Lillian urged him to do it? His heart sunk in his chest at the thought.

“Uh, yeah,” he said softly. _More like trying to avoid your attention and look at how well that turned out for me_. “You could say that.”

It seemed reasonable enough, but it would only take a few moments before he realized just how useless Virgil was and decided to go and talk to another kid. It was only matter of time before the adult would be making some excuse to pardon himself and then go off and get to know someone else. Someone more _interesting_.

So, with that negative thought in mind, Virgil turned back to his sentence and continued to read, though, he did feel a bit uncomfortable at the prospect that he was technically ignoring someone that seemed to have an almost genuine interest in him.

The sound of leather shifting caught his attention, but he made no move to look over his shoulder again. Not yet, at least.

“Can I ask what you’re reading?”

That wasn’t something he had been expecting. Maybe he was just asking out of courtesy. “Harry Potter,” he answered after a moment of hesitation. “The Goblet of Fire. I’ve read the other books too.” A little bit of confidence boosted into his system when he started to talk about something he enjoyed. “Though, this is the first time I’ve ever had to read it in a book so much bigger than me. It’s a bit difficult.”

A warm chuckle rumbled from above him, and Virgil felt some of that warmth as well. “I can assume so,” replied the stranger, pushing his glasses up a bit farther up on the bridge of his nose. “Have you seen the movies?”

Virgil shook his head. “I’ve never had the chance to,” the words were accompanied by a shrug of his shoulders. “My mom and dad were never big movie watchers.” _They spent most of their time yelling at each other_. “And since I’ve been here, there’s hasn’t really been much of a chance. Lillian said she would try and get the movies for me and her to watch but that hasn’t happened yet.”

“I see,” was the reply.

He was still a bit in awe, honestly, at the fact that this adult was still talking with him. He didn’t have any special talents.

He wasn’t good at drawing attention to himself unless it was the unwanted kind. He never tried jumping up and down and jumping through hoops to try and attract the gaze of someone who entered the orphanage.

So, why was he still talking to him?

The quiet was held for a moment. The boy shifted a bit uncomfortably under the constant watch, but he said nothing. Instead, the silence was broken by the stranger yet again. “What’s your name?”

His breathing halted in his chest, a sharp pang rang through his body at the question. He had been asked for his _name_. No one ever asked for his name. He coughed a bit, trying to cover up the choked noise he had almost let out and his attention turned back to the man sitting only a bit away from him. He hesitated a moment, wondering if this was some sort of trick, before ruling that out almost instantly. “Virgil.”

“It’s a pleasure, Virgil,” he was answered with again, a gentle quirk of the lips showing a gentler grin, trying to come off as less intimidating almost. “My name is Logan.” He then nodded his head towards the other man who was happily chattering to one of the kids, before seemingly laughing at one of their jokes. Callie had always been good at telling jokes. “That’s my husband, Patton.”

Virgil almost didn’t know how to respond to that sort of information, instead, he just smiled slightly, dipping his head into a nod to show that he understood.

In fact, he was still rather floored by the fact that the man— _Logan—_ cared enough to ask for his name. To even just stay seated here with him, asking about things that he liked. Belatedly, Virgil realized that he was trying to get to know him. Like the other adults did with the other kids, asking them questions about things they liked to do, favourites, and so on.

It was nearly a completely foreign concept to him.

Someone wanting to get to know _him_.

He didn’t have any special hidden talents, he wasn’t able to play sports like other kids. He could barely read a normal book without struggling and needing assistance, so he wasn’t entirely sure where Logan’s interest in him laid.

Though, Virgil’s attention shifted again, back out to the playroom as Patton seemed to be excusing himself from some of the children’s over-the-top antics at trying to steal his entire attention.

His footsteps got a bit more prominent and Virgil felt his anxiety creeping back into his chest. He had barely had more than one adult’s attention on him at a time. He was used to the people in the orphanage and Julian certainly didn’t hold any fear over him anymore, but two strangers were an absolutely different case.

He dropped his gaze, back down to the forgotten words before shifting himself to sit cross-legged on the expanse of paper beneath him.

It took only a moment it seemed before Logan’s partner was in the reading area as well and his heart started to pound in his chest.

Though, when he looked back up, he saw the somewhat startled look from nearly matching glasses and brown eyes peering down at him from behind those glass lenses. Though, the smile he got afterwards was warm and gentle. Patton was kneeling down in front of him after a second, to get a bit more level with the kid.

“Hey kiddo.” His voice was kind and soft. Something that Virgil almost hadn’t heard in a very long time. His birth father had always been shouting, whether it was in a shouting match against his mother, or when he was facing the kid down and ordering him to do something.

The kindness and understanding attention he was receiving from these two strangers was almost too much for him to bear. He almost felt a little bit choked up at the fact that they both wanted to talk to him.

How else was he supposed to react?

So, to not leave the other without saying something back, Virgil swallowed back his nerves before smiling shakily. “Hi.” He was quiet, he knew that, but at least he was trying.

This was the most he had done for two strangers in a long time, but he actually felt valued. He actually felt as though they were genuinely interested in him for once. That they weren’t just cornering him out of pity.

There was a bit of heat bubbling behind his eyes, but he couldn’t let that show, so he tried to steady himself. Getting teary would only bring out the pity and that was the last thing he wanted.

But then, just as he looked past Patton, he could see Julian staring him down. Anger etched onto his features, aggression was very much obvious, and it was the first time Virgil actually felt worried about Julian doing something bad in a very long time. The look he was being given was dark and hateful, almost saying:

‘ _Stop distracting them from the rest of us, you little mistake, let them talk to someone else for God’s sake.’_

What he didn’t know was that he wasn’t the only one that saw such a look, Logan had also been watching the other kid silently. It didn’t seem to sink in to Julian that he was being watched. Quite closely as well.

So, when Virgil had dropped his head away from the both of them, Logan took his chance to reach forwards and gently nudge Patton in the shoulder. When he got a confused look in response, he said nothing had nodded his head subtly behind him, to where Julian was still keeping a hard watch on the kid they were currently talking to.

Patton, after a moment, took the hint and made it seem more natural and just scanned over the rest of the kids as they played and caused chaos. He caught just the tail end of Julian’s harsh glare, and it was instead replaced by a large grin and the boy’s attitude switched almost instantly after he had turned around.

If that wasn’t a big warning bell, he wasn’t sure what was.

So, he decided to change the subject. He could see the dejected slump in the boy’s shoulders in front of him and he felt his heart ache. He offered a gentler smile. “What do you like to do?”

Virgil blinked, the question had come out of nowhere and he startled. He opened his mouth to say something before stopping himself.

What _did_ he like to do?

“Um, I like to read, I guess,” he offered after a moment of slight hesitation. He wasn’t exactly sure what else to say. There were a few things he liked. The outdoors, walks, stars. He really did like looking up at the sky at night when all of the lights were out. It didn’t make him feel so alone.

Patton’s smile warmed further. “Logan likes to read too.”

Which was answered with a hum of approval from said man.

Though, Julian was staring him down again and Virgil knew what he needed to do. He needed to push these two strangers — these two lovely, incredibly kind strangers away.

Before Logan or Patton could say something more, they were being cut off, much to their surprise. “If you’re looking for a girl, Lana can tap dance while blowing bubbles,” he started off, the water in his eyes slowly becoming more prominent as he smiled shakily, “and Tasha’s really good at reading French. But if you’re looking for a boy, Lucas is really good when it comes to magic tricks and Julian is—” _a bully who wants nothing more than to pretend to be good. He wants to hog all the attention on himself, please don’t believe anything he says to you, it’s all an act,_ “—really good at sports.”

Kids had actually even used Virgil himself in their schemes to get people to like them. They had always chattered at him, making him uneasy, but being incredibly nice to him. It was all for show, none of it was real nor did it carry over after those people had left.

The startled look on Patton’s face said it all and Virgil felt so horribly guilty at it. He instead turned his watery gaze elsewhere and used the edge of his sleeve to wipe just under his eyes, before turning that sad smile right back to the both of them.

“You— certainly know a lot about everyone here,” Logan spoke up, a heartbeat of silence between them.

Virgil shrugged his shoulders. “That’s what happens when you’ve been here as long as I have. Not many people want to adopt someone like— like me.”

And there it was. He had brought out that pity look. Had he managed to finally make them uncomfortable enough to leave him alone?

He knew that Julian was watching again, this aggression, yet the look of satisfaction was something that didn’t go unnoticed by Virgil or Logan, yet again. Which led Virgil seeming to close further in on himself and getting the adult, in turn, to stiffen.

The fact that the kid could be so blatantly aggressive right in front of the people that were here to adopt someone made no logical sense. If he was trying to impress them, he was doing an awful job at it.

Actually, as he met Patton’s eyes, their conversation was silent and right above the boy’s head, but there was a mutual understanding. It seemed they already knew who they wanted.

Though, there was more wild cheering and when the three turned to see what was happening, Julian was suddenly in the centre of the circle, trying to arm-wrestle whoever was willing enough to face him down. It was once again the tactic to draw the adults’ attention away from him and onto them, to hopefully draw them away. Instead, it almost backfired.

Patton instead readjusted his kneeling position as his knees were starting to cramp, before looking back towards Virgil. “What are they doing?” He already had a sneaking suspicion, but he did want to make sure.

“They’re trying to take your attention away from me,” he mumbled, using his sleeve to wipe at the dampness under his eyes again, “it’s okay though, if you’d rather talk to them. I’m not really that interesting.”

“Falsehood,” Logan stated almost instantly after that, just as Patton’s eyes softened. “You’re no less important than the rest of them.”

What would lead him to believe this, Logan had a few ideas. Perhaps it was the fact that the one child that kept eyeing Virgil was putting him down. Most likely even worse so when outsiders weren’t there. It was probably the fact that since Virgil was human, it would make him an easier target for the other kids and with how non-confrontational he seemed to be, it would be easy to accomplish such tasks without getting caught by the adults in charge.

The startled, heartbroken look flickered in the boy’s eyes and instantly, he knew what kid they would be taking home. Logan also had a feeling that Patton was already pretty attached. Just by the way he could see his husband watching the little one was almost proof enough.

It seemed that the both of them wanted to get him out of this place, not when he seemed to be treated so roughly. Virgil was a good kid, it was easy to tell. He was quiet, and certainly respectful. How they could treat him any differently failed to make any sense.

Just because the boy was smaller? Ridiculous. He deserved a loving household just like any other kid.

Virgil sniffled for a moment, before shaking his head, trying to shake off the kind words. It seemed as if he didn’t personally think he deserved it, which had to have been driven into him by the kids here, if not his birth parents in the first place.

“Hey,” Patton’s voice drew the kid’s attention, and when the teary eyes looked over to him, he smiled softly. “I would much rather talk to you.”

“ _Why?”_ His voice cracked on the question. But it held so much more weight.

_‘Why do you want to talk to me? Why am I so important? What makes me different from the other children?’_

A pregnant pause permeated the air around them, save for the chattering of the other children still trying to steal Patton and Logan’s attention. It was easy to tell that Julian was nearly minutes away from actually asking for attention and showing off, it was an easy thing for him to do. He had been getting whatever he wanted since he was new here.

For a moment, neither of them really knew how to respond to such a question, as simple as it could have been.

Then, the quiet broke. “Because you’ve been through so much,” Patton started, watching as Virgil’s eyes moved back to his own, watching him through his bangs as if he was trying to hide in plain sight. “So much more than what a child your age should have to go through.”

He wanted to say something, but nothing was coming to mind. Absolutely nothing. His shoulders trembled for a moment before he raised his hands to hide his face.

This was the last thing he had wanted the both of them to see. It was the last thing Virgil wanted anyone to see him do. He’d never met these people before and here he was in tears in front of them because for once in a long time, he felt valid. He felt that he could be wanted. It was pathetic that he was crying over something so small, but there had just been so much pent up inside him.

“Awe, kid,” Patton had the urge to reach forwards and comfort him, but he wasn’t sure if that would really be alright with the boy and the last thing he wanted to do was make him even more uncomfortable. His eyes turned to Logan instead, a silent look saying _‘please go talk to Lillian, I want to stay here for comfort reasons.’_

Getting a nod in response, Logan was quick to stand and make his way through the crowd of kids. He had been stopped briefly, just by a young little boy who was curious if he was married to Patton, as apparently it had been a rumour floating around before they had arrived. He had said yes, of course, before continuing on and leaving the playroom altogether.

——————————

It was so unfair.

He couldn’t believe it. The two people that had spent so much time talking to him really didn’t seem to care enough about him in the long run.

It wasn’t _fair_.

Virgil had thought … he had been led to believe that maybe, just _maybe_ something good could have happened.

But no. _No_. He knew that they were going to choose another kid. A better kid. Someone that was more talkative. Of course not. Why would anyone want a kid like him? The only human in an orphanage that outmatched him? The only human in a world that would _continue_ to outmatch him.

It had been a couple days since Patton and Logan had left, and he felt alone again. There had been a fleeting moment in time where he had believed that for once he would be needed, that he would be wanted. What a stupid thought. He had been naive.

Julian and his stupid gaggle of groupies were right. Out of all the hope that Virgil had had, that he had almost had a true chance at a loving home.

Who was he kidding? Out of everything that had happened to him, with his birth parents and in the orphanage as well, it was easy to say that he didn’t deserve the kind of happiness.

So, the boy pulled his knees up to his chest as he sat on the window sill in the room he was given. He was allowed to stay in a room by himself as the Headmaster and Lillian had said that it would be safer for him to be away from the other children at night. He couldn’t have agreed more, but this solitude also gave him the chance to stay completely in his own company unless being actively sought out.

His hood was pulled up over his head and his arms rested on the tops of his knees, resting his cheek against it and just staring blankly out the window.

The sky was a shining blue, white clouds dotted here and there, but inside, he just felt this swirling grey.

 _Julian really_ was _right. You’re useless. Even the kindest, most understanding people didn’t have the patience for you,_ he laughed bitterly to himself, _sounds about right._

He tried to shake the thoughts, but was instead welcomed with heat bubbling behind his eyes. The tightness in his throat was telling him how close he was to letting out a sob, but he fought it down, trying to remain as unattached as he could.

They were two strangers. They didn’t even _mean_ anything to him. So why was he taking this rejection so hard?

There had been so many other people. So many that had come and gone. Given him nothing but a side glance and he felt nothing for them. There had even been people that did stop to talk to him, if very briefly, and he felt nothing for them either. So why was this any different?

It didn’t make any sense and it was frustrating and upsetting.

The sound of the door opening behind him made him flinch the tiniest bit, but he played it off when the footsteps approached him quietly. The soft clicking of heels on the wooden flooring proved that he already knew who it was.

Lillian had been checking on him for the past week as he had barely come out to the playroom. He hadn’t even touched his book on the bookshelf. She had even taken the liberty to bring it up here for him if he wanted to read in peace.

He had been despondent with her a lot of the time, but she still cared enough to make sure he was eating his fill and staying hydrated. Even if he didn’t say it aloud to her, he hoped she knew that it meant a lot to him.

She was a caring woman and she certainly didn’t see him as any less than the other kids, if anything, he thought she would sometimes prioritize him. Maybe that’s why Julian didn’t like him: because he almost always had the upper hand when it came to being favoured, whether he tried to be or not.

Virgil also wasn’t rude to the other adults like some of the kids were. He rarely talked back, unless absolutely necessary. Such a thing hasn’t really happened with the Headmaster or with Lillian or any of the other officials yet.

The only people he had really snapped at were the other kids that thought it was fun to pick on him.

And even then, threats couldn’t scare the other kids if you were under three inches compared to them. All they did was giggle and taunt.

_‘How are you gonna do that, Short Stack?’_

_‘Gonna bite me? Oh no, I’m so terrified.’_

_‘Oof, that’s a lot of bark for someone that has no bite.’_

_‘Big attitude for a little guy.’_

He hated it. Every single living second of being here was a nightmare come true. Though, there were worse places out there, he had to admit, such as living with his parents back home. That, compared to this orphanage, wasn’t horrible.

So, he stayed unhappily curled up on the sill, just watching. Waiting.

“Virgil, Sweetheart—”

He tipped his head away from the woman after she spoke. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he mumbled into his arms, slightly muffling his voice.

She sighed. “That’s not why I’m here, Hon.”

He was waiting for her to say something more, when he realized that she was waiting for him to prompt her on, to prove that he was truly interested in what she was going to say.

So, he humoured her and turned his head just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. “Why’re you here then?”

“It’s about Patton and Logan.”

He shut down almost instantly and he tensed his shoulders. “They didn’t want me. It’s why they left.” _I was successfully able to push them away._

Lillian frowned gently, moving to sit on the seat just beneath the windowsill and she leaned forwards a bit, trying to catch the boy’s attention. “Now, that’s not true.”

She heard the smallest sniffle, before watching Virgil use the edge of his sleeve to rub just under his eyes, trying to scrub away the wetness that was trying to escape. “How would you know?”

Well, she knew because she had proof that they wanted him. The papers that had been signed.

But it wasn’t only the official signing of the papers that proved it to her. She had seen that look in their eyes. Patton had such compassion and Logan had looked so determined. She swore she could already see those parental protective instincts kicking into gear. They had just talked to the boy and she knew they were perfect for him.

Virgil was a good kid, if a bit quiet, but he knew how to be heard when he wanted to be. Of course, there were times where he shied away from that attention, even if he did want it in the first place, but when given the chance, he can really knock it out of the ball park.

Lillian was a people watcher, and what she had seen from Patton and Logan said more than words ever could.

_After meeting Julian, they probably went after him. He’s always been the favourite of so many other adults. Everyone just gives one look at you before finding a different kid._

Another part of him though, the more reasonable part, was saying something much different.

_Yeah, but not many others can read people like Patton can, or be as observant and vigilant as Logan was. It would be insane to believe that neither of them had caught onto Julian’s actions when he was doing it literally behind their backs._

Being positive was hard when all he knew was pessimism.

When all he had been shown was cruelty by the very people that were supposed to love him like no one else. They were supposed to protect him and care for him, and all that had happened was he had been taken out of their custody.

What a great life. Couldn’t have wished for something better.

“Sweetheart, just listen to me, okay?” Lillian tried again, only watching as he tried to shut her out further.

“Stop, Lillian, _please_ ,” his voice started to get a bit more unsteady. “I just— I know, okay.” He raised a hand to rub at the tears that had managed to escape down his flushed cheeks. He hiccuped slightly. “No one wants someone like me.”

If Lillian had been legally allowed to adopt anyone in this orphanage, she knew that it would be the tiny kid currently talking down about himself right in front of her.

But that would have taken away the chance at him getting a home with his own gender, and he had a better opportunity now.

So, she refused to let him continue like this. “That’s not true,” she said softly, knowing that physical touch wouldn’t help this situation, but that didn’t keep her from wanting to try. She refrained however. So, she explained what was happening and why it had happened. “The papers took a few days to sign and then go through for approval, but, Hon, you’ve been adopted.”

Those were the words that made him freeze. Everything in him went tense as a bowstring and he tried to sort out what she had just said to him.

Adopted. He had been _adopted_. “W-what?”

Lillian’s own eyes were brimming with tears as she looked down to him, this sweet little boy was finally getting the chance to live life like a kid should be able to do. “That’s right,” she nodded her head. “You should pack your things, they’re waiting downstairs for you.”

“They didn’t—,” he stifled a sob behind his hand, as the news overwhelmed him, “they didn’t abandon me.”

Of course, it was absurd to think that two people he had never met before were ‘abandoning’ him, but when he had met Patton and Logan, things had just felt different, even from the first time Logan had spoken with him. It had felt genuine for once. Conversation hadn’t been stilted and forced.

“No, Sweetheart, they didn’t,” she then nudged the boy ever so gently in the side. “Go back your things, hon. I’ll wait right here for you.”

There was excitement that flourished in him, just the idea that he was finally getting out of this place at long last. The only people he would miss would be Lillian and the Headmaster. He could care less about the other kids and he knew that as soon as word got out that he was the one chosen, there would be meltdowns.

A part of him wanted to stay just long enough to watch Julian throw down.

Getting up quickly, he pushed himself away from the window sill and to the edge of it, where a small staircase had been built in just for him. It was easily removable because someone knew that at least one day, he would get out of here and those stairs wouldn’t be needed again. There was a bit of a trek over a catwalk that had been also been installed, allowing him easier access to the rest of the room, but mainly everything for him was on one surface.

The furniture that he had was actually human made so it was all perfectly made to scale. Nothing was too big and nothing was too small. Of course, it was odd why he hadn’t been taken to a different orphanage, but now, now he couldn’t complain about any of that. He was getting his chance.

Packing took little to no time at all and before long, he had everything shoved in the same bag he had arrived here with. Just a black backpack and nothing but the clothes on his back.

He stood at the edge of the wooden surface and he looked as if he were almost beaming.

“Aw Sweetheart,” Lillian cooed softly, getting up from her seated position and moving to kneel in front of him. She swiped at her tears. She was trying not to get too emotional. “I’m really going to miss having you around here.”

Virgil knew that he was going to miss Lillian too. She was the kindest one here and really, she deserved everything. She had been nurturing and caring and had stayed up with him when he had had nightmares about his parents coming back for him.

That was another thing he would never have to worry about again. His birth parents coming back and adopting him into their custody again. Of course, he was positive that’s not how it worked, but he could rest easy.

Being brought into another household gave him the chance to leave his past behind, even if it still haunted his waking dreams, and start anew.


	7. Untitled #7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton can't help a sad Logan, so he recruits Virgil instead.  
> This one is complete.

“Do you really have something negative to say about every Disney movie?” The annoyed tone was playful, but it did hold a small ounce of truth in it, even as the brown eyes moved and focused downwards on the smaller form sitting on the back of the couch. “You’ve hardly seen a handful of them and you manage to always find _something_ in them worth mentioning.”

Virgil rolled his eyes, pulling his legs up and crossing them comfortably, before leaning back on his hands. “Well yeah,” he motioned to the screen as _Beauty and the Beast_ rolled in front of them. “Belle fell in love with her captor. That’s Stockholm syndrome. That’s not romantic.”

“But that’s not the point of the story, you Emo Nightmare,” Roman sounded exasperated. Their debate had been going on for quite awhile now. They were almost completely through the entirety of the movie itself. “The point of the story is that she falls for his personality, not his looks.”

“After being captured? Come on,” the borrower snarked back. There was very little fear when he was interacting with Roman, though, there were moments where his instincts would kick in. “He locked her in a cell, for one. And he wasn’t exactly kind any time after that.”

It was almost astonishingly easy to compare Belle’s situation to one that he had been in weeks prior. Being captured and certainly been talked down to, ignored and pushed around. Sure, the outcomes of both of their stories were completely different, as Virgil was fairly sure there was no Stockholm syndrome involved in his life, but he guessed he _had_ somehow befriended the human that had caught him in the first place.

Though, that still didn’t really prove anything.

The sound of Mrs. Potts’ voice singing as Belle and the Beast danced across the screen, in colours of yellow and blue and white, drew his attention back to the screen.

Yes, Virgil always had something negative to say, but he did enjoy watching the movies anyways. They were entertaining and, as he had been told, they were classics. _The Black Cauldron_ was admittedly his favourite, but they didn’t watch it too often as it wasn’t exactly a light and fluffy tale.

The couch shifted and his attention shifted back to the human as said male adjusted himself to sit a bit more comfortably. “Do you … actually like watching these movies?”

The question was actually sort of surprising. “Uh, yeah?” It almost came out more of a question. “They’re good movies. Just, the plot-holes and problems can be … kind of distracting.”

With the short silence that followed, his anxiety skyrocketed.

His throat tightened. Had he said something wrong? Had he screwed this up? Great. Just great. Out of the few people that he did know well enough, he had already managed to screw up this chance. The last thing he had ever expected was to befriend a human being, even with his fear and the accelerated heart rate almost every time he came out, but—

“I can understand that,” Roman’s voice broke his negative train of thought, and he startled, eyes shooting up to look at him. Said human’s eyes were already turning to look at him. “I mean, if you say the plot aloud, it doesn’t exactly sound great. A fair maiden being captured by a hairy beast, who is certainly less than kind to her, and then she falls for him? I can see your reasoning.” He offered Virgil a small grin, noticing how nervous he was, and Roman could only guess that his mind had been less than helpful. “You don’t have to worry. As much as I adore the works of Disney, there are problems.”

Without realizing that his hands had been shaking, he moved from leaning back on them and he tucked them into his pockets. “I, uh, yeah,” he laughed nervously for a moment, feeling the want to hide away in his hoodie. “Yeah.”

Before the conversation could be prolonged, or even start up again, the sound of footsteps entering the living room caught them both by surprise.

“Virgil?” Patton’s voice sounded worried and that was somewhat alarming. What could possibly make him feel so upset? “I know you and Roman are watching a movie, but I— are you busy?”

Virgil looked up to Roman, who in turn just nodded his head towards Patton, a gentle, understanding look. “Don’t worry, Thumbelina, we can finish the movie later.”

The borrower was thankful for that, at least. So, with that decided, he then turned his entire body and let his legs dangle over the back of the couch.

“Sure, Pat, what’s going on?”

The way Patton was fidgeting with his hands, spoke to a nervous human. There was something that had really upset him, and he couldn’t even think of what it could possibly be. What had gone wrong?

“It’s Logan,” he broke the silence and suddenly Virgil felt the blood leave his face.

Those were the only two words needed to make Virgil’s anxiety intensify.

What had happened to him? Was he sick? Hurt? _Dying?_

Oh God, he knew he shouldn’t have taken the day to watch a couple movies with Roman. He knew he should have made sure Logan was doing okay.

When he had knocked on his friend’s door, there had been no answer and Virgil had just assumed he was either out or still sleeping. He should have known better than to just believe that the silence he had gotten meant that he was fine.

_He should have known better._

The look of terror and regret must have been obvious, because he watched as Patton scrambled to find something else to say. “He’s fine, I promise! But, um, I don’t think he’s feeling okay. He won’t talk to me about it and I’ve been trying to. I think it’s just making him more distant. Maybe … maybe if you tried talking to him?”

Virgil wasn’t exactly the best when it came to dealing with others emotions. He could hardly deal with his own, as he kept it inside of himself until it all came out in one big breakdown. Helping Logan, who even refused to acknowledge his feelings, would be difficult.

He then nodded his head. “Okay,” he spoke up, pulling his hands from his pockets and pushing himself into a stand. “I’ll see what I can do. Where is he?”

Patton seemed to light up a little bit at the fact that Virgil was willing to help. Not that he really doubted him. “He’s been reading on my laptop in my room almost all day,” he stepped over to the back of the couch and offered his hands out.

Virgil was positive he would never be able to really be used to Roman or Patton offering to carry him. It was odd and the phobia of human hands wasn’t an easy one to shake. Not that he thought the humans meant him any harm, but there was always that constant, lingering ‘ _what if something goes wrong’_ or ‘ _what if_ _they change their mind and they decide to use this trust against you’_.

Usually, he would be more than content to turn down the offer and make his way on his own, but if Logan wasn’t feeling right, well, he didn’t really have the time to waste.

So, he tried to relax his pounding heart and pushed off the edge of the couch and landed on the offered palms. He crouched down on his knees and leaned down to keep his balance.

However, that balance only lasted a moment before he toppled over by the quick movements from the human. There was a quiet apology murmured down to him, but there was much more urgency in his actions.

Pushing up onto his hands, he crossed his legs. There were so many things that he was worried could be going wrong. Was Logan upset and just not sure how to express it? Virgil would have been almost positive that Patton would get more of a reaction from him. Though, trying to connect to someone who always wore his emotions on his sleeves, to someone that pretends he doesn’t have them, would make it difficult for the two of them to relate.

Virgil was kind of in between when it came to the both of those things. He could wear his emotions out completely in the open, or he could tuck them away and keep them hidden from the light of day. He was probably the better option, honestly.

He also knew Logan a lot better than Patton did, so that would probably help as well.

When the door to the bedroom creaked open, there was no visual response from Logan, save the fact that his shoulders might have tensed, only to release again when hearing no further noise.

The fact that speaking also wasn’t really an option either was something that said silence may be the better option until Patton left the room. If he had been trying and failing to get something from the stubborn male, then perhaps Virgil, when he was alone with him, would be able to get something different.

The human crossed the distance between the door and the bed, to where the laptop was set up on the waves of covers.

The hands were lowered and Virgil brought himself into a stand, before hopping off and tucking his hands into his pockets, shrugging a bit farther into his jacket before turning his attention upwards. The way Logan was on the laptop itself, well, it was certainly a much sturdier surface than the bed itself was.

“Thanks for the ride, Pat,” he called up, offering a small grin, before getting one in return. Though, after that, no other words were shared before Patton left the room and shut the door behind him.

Virgil then turned his attention to his accomplice, who was obviously pretending not to notice that he was currently there as well. His eyes were glued to the screen, but he could tell that Logan’s heart wasn’t in whatever he was currently reading. His mind was elsewhere.

Standing in silence, however, wasn’t going to get either of them anywhere, and Virgil knew what he needed to do, but doing that was going to be the problem.

So, he managed to wobble over to the edge of the laptop, sitting on the opposite side of the touch-pad from where Logan was and crossed his legs. His eyes moved to the screen as the page scrolled for a moment, before stopping once more.

From what Virgil could tell, the essay Logan was currently reading was something that had to do with physics. He wasn’t sure why, or what was so interesting about it, but then again, that wasn’t his thing. With how much of a nerd Logan could be, this made sense.

“So,” Virgil finally broke his vow of silence and he watched as Logan tensed.

“If Patton set you up to try and get something from me, you are going to be sorely disappointed.”

The remark was a bit cold, but it was his self-defense mechanism. Virgil knew that when Logan got hurt or stressed or worried, he got indifferent, short and pushed people away. It was what Virgil had done countless times, as well.

It was to keep himself from getting hurt further.

He adjusted his position. “He said you weren’t feeling quite like yourself.”

“I feel fine.”

Okay, so that’s how this was going to be. He should have expected it, honestly. He disliked it when someone else came asking about he felt, so he really should have known that Logan would be the exact same way, if not worse.

“ _I_ never said you weren’t,” Virgil countered back, watching as Logan refused to even look in his direction, “but I’m here because Patton got worried about you. He got even more so when you wouldn’t talk to him.”

The other borrower rolled his eyes and finally turned just enough to see him out of the corner of his eye. “You’re free to go back to watching movies with Roman, I can assure you that everything is fine.”

Virgil took a moment to realize that he probably wasn’t going about this the right way. There had to be a different way to address feelings without outright saying ‘ _I want to talk to you about the feelings you say you don’t have’_.

But what was the right thing to say?

Did he try and relate to him on a more personal level? Or would that just make Logan colder? Patton had said that he tried to be understanding and was instead pushed away, but maybe that was because he was a human.

“Logan, I get it,” he started off, trying to grab his attention. “I get that maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed or upset. I’m … not sure about what, but I’ve felt that way lots of times.” He leaned forwards, trying to gauge the reaction he was getting from him. He was greeted with an emotionless expression, which he wasn’t surprised. “I’ve felt hurt before, too. The want to push others away and keep this— unhappiness from being overwhelming on someone else.”

“Virgil, I have already told you. I feel fine.”

Well, it was a bit of progress.

“Look, I’m no good at this- this sappy stuff, but I’m trying to help you. I know for a fact that keeping things inside is only going to do more harm than good. You should know that too.”

Logan sighed, put his posture was tense. Either Virgil was about to engage in an argument, or Logan was preparing to leave this whole thing behind and avoid it by _literally_ leaving. “I don’t want to talk about this—”

“I know you don’t,” he cut the other off, moving just close enough to be an inch or two away from the touch-pad, the thing itself still separating him and his roommate. “I never want to be faced with my problems either. Especially not by someone else. Yet, here we are.”

He watched as Logan stood up, and Virgil was quick to follow.

“No,” he warned. This time his voice was stern. “You don’t get to pretend that this didn’t happen. You don’t get to pretend that you don’t feel. We all feel, so stop ignoring it for once.”

“And who are you to bring this up?” There was the snap back, it was sharp and defensive.

Virgil held his ground, even as sharp brown eyes turned back around on him, finally meeting his gaze for once. He was unmoved. “Because I’ve been in the same position you’re in right now.” That probably didn’t convince him, but it was honest. “It sucks, Logan. It does.”

He could tell that he was going to get a fight. There was that look building behind the other man’s eyes and he could see a defense coming from a mile away.

Yet, the silence was held between them.

It was sharp and angry, biting and cold, but there was also another undertone to it. Something that was almost resigned. Not for the fact that they were about to give up the battle between them, but it seemed as if something had snapped into place behind those black-rimmed glasses.

“You’re not going to give up on this are you?”

“Nope,” Virgil replied, shuffling on his feet, before offering a small grin. “You can walk away and try and leave the conversation, but we live together. You’re not getting away from this. Not this time.”

Logan just looked weary. Tired. “What if I told you that I really do feel fine?”

“I wouldn’t believe you.”

He opened his mouth to say something more, and instead, he stopped himself. He dropped his eyes and Virgil stepped around the touch-pad to get a bit closer to him.

“I’m not going to judge you, you know,” the shorter male said quietly, watching as Logan ducked under his hand and went to sit on the very edge of the laptop instead, facing the head of the bed. He let out a small breath and went to sit beside him. “We’re in this together.”

Logan hesitated. “I know.”

The quiet held for a moment. “If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t be offended, Hell, I know that it sometimes feels better to keep it inside. But, I’m here to listen if you do want to.”

“It is not that I don’t trust you, Virgil, I know I can.” That made the young man feel a burst of warmth in his chest, but only for a moment and he watched as Logan almost deflated. “I just—” There was that frustrated look again, looking like he wanted to pull back and ignore the problem. But there was also a resilience that said he wasn’t going to allow himself to do so. “I’m not the one that’s supposed to _feel_. I feel as though I may be broken.”

The admittance made Virgil freeze. A feeling of guilt filled his chest. Was it because Logan was around someone like him all the time, that his tendencies were starting to rub off? No. It couldn’t be like that. Could it?

“Am— am I broken?”

Then, those sad brown eyes were focused on him and he didn’t know what to do with the sudden attention. He swallowed thickly before shaking his head.

“No,” he finally said, clasping his hands in his lap and avoiding his attention completely from Logan’s. “No, you’re not broken. These emotions …” He paused, trying to find the right words. Virgil wasn’t like Patton. He couldn’t just explain or _try_ to explain why he was feeling this way. “They’re–”

“I just … I don’t understand them.” There was more emotion building in Logan’s voice, and it sounded like he was almost starting to get choked up by the fact that he didn’t understand. “I have nothing to be upset about and the fact that I feel this way is ridiculous and unreasonable.”

“You feel sad for no reason?”

“I suppose that is one way of putting it,” he agreed, moving his gaze to land on the pillow so far away from them, yet so close. “A little less gently than I would believe, but yes.”

“That’s not unreasonable,” Virgil told him with a shrug. “It’s normal. You’re not broken because you don’t understand how you feel.” He rubbed a hand up his arm, and he sighed. “A lot of times, I don’t know _why_ I feel bad, I just _feel_ bad and that’s not wrong. You know?”

The quiet held. Then, there was a small intake of breath and when Virgil looked to his right, he noticed that Logan had hid his face in the crooks of his arms, his shoulders trembling.

Now he was in a dilemma. Was he supposed to reach over and comfort him?

For one, Virgil was kind of in shock. He had never seen Logan so emotionally vulnerable and it was disheartening. Another part of him knew that this was good for him, getting these emotions out. Crying usually helped someone feel better, but he didn’t know whether physical touch would be the best way to comfort him like this. He knew that Logan wasn’t a very physically affectionate person either. Not exactly _affectionate_ , period.

So, he went with his gut and moved a bit closer to him, before placing an arm around his shoulder. He rested his head on Logan’s shoulder before just sitting in silence.

It was heartbreaking, in all honesty. He sounded so broken. There was just so much hurt that seemed to be locked away, and it had only been a matter of time before this would have happened. Though, Virgil assumed that having Logan upset now was better than if he were by himself. He also knew that seeing him like this would be something kept completely confidential.

“What am I even doing?” Logan mumbled, his voice was muffled. “This is pathetic. I shouldn’t be feeling like this— this isn’t. I don’t …”

“Hey,” Virgil kept his arm where it was, making sure to offer as much comfort as he could. “Don’t blame yourself for feeling like this. It’s not … This is okay. You’re allowed to feel overwhelmed.”

“But if I can’t keep— I’m …”

“You’re alright,” he assured the logical male. “You’re okay. I know, emotions aren’t your thing, you’ve told me many a’time. Emotions aren’t really my thing either, but from what I do know, it’s okay to feel a bit down. It doesn’t really take away from who you are as a person. I’m not going to feel any different about you and I can promise you that Patton and Roman won’t either.”

Virgil, for a hair-raising second, wasn’t sure if he had said the right thing or not. He had actually thought he had messed it up pretty badly but then he felt Logan’s hands in tighten in the back of his jacket. If anything, it seemed that his shivering had gotten a bit harder.

Still, he wasn’t really sure what he could do to calm Logan down. Whenever he went through his panic attacks, it was always the other way around. So to be in reversed positions, well, it was strange.

In the opposite situation, Logan would always recite something to him. Whether it was poetry, or a part from a book he had memorized, or how he had even assured him that he was going through would pass in time and that it was not a permanent state of mind.

The man himself was always so grounded in reality, not letting anything sway him when he knew how to debunk it. However, as Virgil held that same man in his arms, watching as he sobbed into his shoulder, well, it gave him a different perspective on this whole situation. It also allowed him to realize that Logan—even though he always denied having feelings in the first place—would eventually be prone to a breakdown and would need a comforting touch, just like any other person. That he would need someone to be understanding and patient and ride this out with him.

“You know, you always talk of astronomy,” Virgil told him, a hesitant moment before he allowed himself to run his fingers soothingly through Logan’s brown hair. “Talking about constellations and the incredible vastness of the universe.”

Usually talking about such things would make Virgil more anxious. Just the thought that space was so big was terrifying and compared to their size anyhow, it made him feel insignificant. However, he had to push his own feelings to the side for a little bit and he needed to talk about what interested Logan. Would could possibly calm him down in the long run.

“Though, for someone that constantly likes to talk about the stars and the night sky, you don’t really spend a lot of time watching the stars themselves. It’s almost as if you’d rather read about them.”

He was answered with a quivering silence and it sent a sharp pang through him. It was hard seeing Logan like this, so he decided to do something more than just talk _at_ him. He needed Logan to talk _to_ him.

Virgil shifted a little bit, wincing as Logan’s glasses dug into his shoulder, but said nothing about it. “Tell me about Orion’s Belt.”

“W-what?”

Finally, he was getting a reaction.

“Tell me about Orion’s Belt.”

Logan lifted his head, brows furrowed, but his eyes were red and hurt, but confused. “I fail to understand what meaning this holds to the situation at hand.” His voice was unsteady and, if anything, he sounded as if he was still ready to fall into another breakdown.

There was silence for a moment, but Virgil smiled softly. “C’mon, Logan, humour me.”

The other borrower sniffled a moment before adjusting his glasses. He still seemed confused by the notion, as it hadn’t exactly clicked behind those brown eyes just yet, but he complied. “Orion’s Belt, also commonly known as the Three Kings or Three Sisters, is an asterism in the constellations. The three stars that make up the belt are Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.”

In all honesty, no matter how many times he listened to Logan ramble about the stars and space, Virgil would never really understand what he was talking about, but that wasn’t what mattered.

What did matter was the way that Logan would light up when he talked about things that he enjoyed. The way that he would get so into it and go off onto tangents about something he was passionate about. _That_ was what mattered the most. It was easy to get him to go off onto topics that may be considered boring by anyone else who was willing to listen to him talk — that or he would talk anyways, whether someone was listening or not — long enough to see how excited he could get over the littlest things.

Though, it seemed that Logan wasn’t done there, and the more he spoke, the steadier he seemed to get. “The stars are more or less evenly spaced in a straight line, and so can be visualized as the belt of the hunter's clothing. They are best visible in the early night sky during the Northern Winter and Southern Summer, in particular the month of January at around 9:00 pm.“

There was quiet again.

Logan’s brows furrowed finally as he pulled away from Virgil’s hold and instead turned his attention towards the head of the bed. “I don’t understand why you had me talk about—,” It took a moment, before it clicked, “—Oh. It was a calming tactic.”

“See? Your advice isn’t lost on me,” Virgil told him. “Even in the middle of a panic attack, I hear you. I thought it would be helpful in this situation.”

He watched as Logan turned to face him, brown eyes slightly startled, but not enough to speak to a worried Logan. In fact, as the other adjusted his glasses, he seemed to clear his throat nervously before obviously directing his gaze elsewhere. Logan was never known for his subtlety. “Well, uh, thank you.”

“You’ve done plenty for me, I just got to return the favour.” Neither of them said anything for a moment. The silence was broken by a soft sigh. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.” The answer was short, but the look that Virgil received when Logan turned to face him said so much more. Things that he was almost positive Logan wouldn’t be able to say to him anyways. As people said, actions could speak louder than words and this was driving that point home. “Thank you, truly.”

The latter shrugged his shoulders, but the smile remained soft and understanding. “Anything for my favourite nerd.” That roused a small laugh from the bespectacled male. “Why don’t you come and join me for a couple more movies, huh? I promise it won’t be as bad as you think it’s going to be.”

“I’d really rather not,” Logan tilted his head back towards the screen behind him, causing Virgil to look in turn before returning his attention to the other borrower. “I haven’t quite finished this essay yet and it is rather riveting.”

_What a nerd. Would rather read about physics that take an hour or two to himself._

“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t wanna do,” Virgil then planted his hands on his thighs and pushed himself into a stand, reaching his arms above his head and stretching. “I think I’ll head back then, finish off a couple more movies.” He turned to look at the door. “You’re welcome to join at any time, you know.”

“I am aware.”

“Good,” he nodded his head, “then I’ll leave you to finish your essay.”

The moment of silence passed between them and Virgil slid off of the laptop itself and began to wobble across the uneven bedspread. He wasn’t exactly used to walking on such soft surfaces as this entire thing was still relatively new. Their entire friendship with the two humans of the household, he meant.

As Logan looked over his shoulder and let his gaze wander up the wall of text, he frowned.

There was no actual urge to finish reading, perhaps he had only said such a thing so that he would be able to be on his own again. Though, he knew that maybe it wasn’t the healthiest idea, nor did he actually have the foggiest idea of what he actually wanted to do, but he figured that spending a couple hours away from reading wouldn’t do too much harm.

So, he pushed himself into a stand instead and moved across the keyboard, taking extra care not to step on any of the keys that may send the screen into an unbalance, he stepped on the power button and watched as the screen went dark.

Walking on the edge of the computer, as there was no way he was going to be able to shut it, Logan hopped off onto the comforter and followed in his accomplice’s footsteps.

“Virgil wait,” he called, watching as the latter paused just as he reached the edge of the bed. “On second thought, I think I’ll join you.”


	8. Untitled #8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horror movies can be the bane of one's existence, good thing Virgil drops in to ease some of Roman's worries.  
> This is complete.

Horror movies were not a good idea. He knew it had been a bad idea from the start.

Though, even as he sat up in bed, eyes scanning the shadows for something that seemed to be moving, Roman knew he was just psyching himself out at this point. There was nothing there, he knew that for a fact.

But what if there was?

There could be something lurking in the darkness that he couldn’t see and it made his heart rate spike. He had already taken some precautions, such as tossing a pillow onto the empty chair in his room and locking his bedroom door.

You could never be too well-prepared.

_Oh, pull yourself together. Leave the overthinking to Virgil, he’s good at it._

Even so, he reached over to grab his phone off the bedside table and sunk a bit farther down into the comforters on his bed, flickering the screen on. He winced for a moment, squinting just enough to see through the blinding light until he managed turned the brightness down and activating the night shift. It was still a bit bright for his taste, but it was better than how it had been.

2:47 am.

That was certainly a lot later than he usually preferred to stay up. Being in bed by 11 pm was usually a must and then getting to sleep about an hour after was how his schedule usually hung around.

However, tonight was different as his mind hadn’t given him the chance to relax from the adrenaline high and had been rather helpful with creating scenarios and monsters in his mind’s eye, instead.

Logan had said this would happen, and Roman knew it would happen anyways, but he hadn’t listened to his common sense or the voice of logic.

Patton had tried to find different ways to make him feel better as well, such as tea with honey or warm milk. Nothing had worked, but he had appreciated the attempts.

As the darkness began to become overwhelming again, he tugged the blankets further up and stayed half hidden beneath them. He didn’t really care that it was starting to get a bit toasty. Not when there was something else in the room with him.

He had tried to tune out the silence from the room and had managed to do so rather impressively, if he could admit, which he could.

He had finally managed to find a tentative peace and if he allowed himself to stay like this, there would be nothing to worry about. He’d be asleep in no time.

_But what if that’s what the monster is waiting for?_

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Roman was well aware, that according to all reason, there would literally be nothing like that lurking in his bedroom, especially not if he was still awake to see it. But it would also have to defy all logic as well. Though, the more fantastical side of him supplied that it could be possible. While he usually adored imagination, right now, it wasn’t doing anything than making him more nervous.

So, he tried to settle his nerves while scrolling through his phone. There had to be _something_ distracting enough, right?

“Why are you still awake?”

A sudden voice from just above him made Roman jolt and knock back against the headboard which caused the bed to shake and his phone to nearly fly entirely from his grasp, landing just a few inches in front of him.

A small, startled gasp was the next thing he registered—that and a rather loud curse that followed quickly afterwards—before the nearly unnoticeable weight that had plopped onto pillow just next to his shoulder followed suit.

With his heart now in his throat, Roman fumbled blindly for his phone in the pitch darkness, finding that it had fallen into the waves of comforter in front of him. He shakily managed switched on the flashlight, bathing the room in a bright white light.

As soon as he could see, after blinking the spots from his eyes, he turned just enough to see a familiar black hoodie slumped into a small divot that his landing had caused.

“Virgil?” He muttered breathlessly, eyes wide and surprised. Now that had sent his adrenaline through the roof.

Was he okay? _Jesus Chris_ t.

Sure, the pillow was admittedly soft, if it wasn’t, Roman wouldn’t be using it. However, the softness of the pillow wasn’t what really mattered when you fell from a height that could be otherwise damaging if you landed wrong.

Roman almost feared to move, not wanting to upset the borrower’s position more. “Are you alright?”

It took a moment, but the smaller form moved a bit, pushing himself up and onto his elbows from the near face-plant he had taken. He took a moment to just breathe, because _holy shit I don’t want to fall from that goddamn height again, fuck me_ and then he was rolling over onto his back and looking up at the very worried human looming over him.

That sort of thing was still unnerving to him, even though the more rational side of him knew that he was perfectly safe in this situation. Though, it was still hard to convince the terror flooding through his veins that that’s what this was.

In literally any other setting, if a human were looking down at you, you needed to get out as soon as possible. Even though his instincts would keep going off whenever someone was looking at him, he knew it wasn’t because he was in danger. It was just because he had those instincts driven into him so hard as a kid that he couldn’t shake them even as an adult.

In any case, these were the instincts that kept him alive, so he couldn’t complain too much.

Though, he needed to get him to stop looking at him like. The helpless, kicked puppy look.

Virgil opened his mouth to say something, before thinking better of it and flipping Roman the bird.

It seemed to express exactly what he needed it to because he watched as the worried expression crumpled almost instantly and was replaced with an mock-irritated one.

“What do you think you’re doing, sneaking in here and scaring the hell out of me at 2 in the morning?”

“'Cause I though it was funny?” The borrower shrugged his shoulders, an amused grin sneaking across his face. He got a flat look in response so he changed his story. “I was just curious as to why _Your Royal Pout-yness_ was still awake at this hour. It’s not like you to be a night dweller.”

Roman made an undignified noise. “Well, maybe I should be asking you the same question.”

Virgil quirked a brow. “Because borrowers are naturally nocturnal? Because I just happen to be an insomniac? We’ve been over this before, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. I just saw your phone on and I guess I wanted to know why you’ve been holding off going to bed. Is it a sin to be curious?”

Roman rolled his eyes, before shifting a bit more to the side and sinking back against the headboard, leaving the borrower laying on the one pillow and using another to support his back. “No, not necessarily.”

Virgil adjusted himself, struggling for just a moment before pulling himself up and sitting cross-legged on the too-soft surface. “You know, I think I can guess why you’re avoiding sleep.”

“I’m not avoiding it—”

“Oh please, it’s because you watched that horror movie, isn’t it?”

The human pursed his lips. He broke the quiet after a moment. “You heard that, huh?”

“Hard not to when you live in the walls,” he said nonchalantly. “That and you were screeching, so.”

Roman winced. “Right.”

The silence held for a minute. It wasn’t awkward, but they both felt as if they needed to fill it, but both for very different reasons. Roman didn’t enjoy sitting in the silence for too long, as it allowed his mind to wander again and Virgil just didn’t like sitting in silence because it could _get_ awkward eventually.

“You know, you’re an idiot for watching it in the first place. You’d think you’d know you and horror movies don’t bode well by now, and didn't Logan warn you too? Sure, he talks a lot, but the guy has some good advice,” Virgil spoke up again, drawing the weight of the brown eyes back to him. There was that unimpressed look again. He tugged at his hoodie a bit, almost nervously with the consistent attention. “Don’t look at me like that when you know I’m right.”

There was a sigh in response, which caused Virgil to turn his attention back to said male. The bed shook a bit violently as Roman moved to bring his knees up to his chest.

Goddamn, were they supposed to be having a heart-to-heart moment? God knows he wasn’t good at those.

But, sitting in the silence wasn’t going to do either of them any good, so, it seemed it was up to him to do something about this. That unhappy look on the other’s face just wasn’t sitting well for him either.

Pushing himself up into a stand, throwing his arms out at the lack of a steady surface and needing to keep balance, he managed to wobble across the pillow before hopping off of it and onto the comforter instead. He made his trek across the blanket as smooth as it could be. Though, the closer he got to Roman, the more he realized just how much he didn’t think about how _big_ he was anymore.

Letting his anxiety about that get in the way wasn’t exactly how he wanted to deal with this, so he pushed it down and continued with his plan.

He knew that Roman wasn’t watching him as the weight of his gaze was somewhere else, though, as soon as he had grabbed onto the pant leg of the pajamas he was wearing, his attention shifted instantly. He suppressed a small grin at the fact that he could literally feel the tense muscles underneath the soft fabric.

Virgil could give it to him for trying not to shake him off with his natural movements.

“What on earth are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, but with his new found confidence, he hauled himself upwards until he sitting cross-legged on the top of Roman’s knee instead, panting slightly, but meeting his eyes at the same.

There was a self-deprecating look hidden behind those brown eyes. The only reason Virgil could see it so clearly, was because he knew how that sort of pain felt. So, before the human could even say anything, he was breaking the silence again. “Insomnia sucks.”

Roman scoffed. “You’re telling me.”

Virgil snapped his fingers, causing a slight jolt from the human and his attention was back on him, if a bit surprised. “I wasn’t done,” he explained his intentions. “Are you going to shut up and listen to me now or do I have to climb higher?” The startled look Roman was giving him said enough, so, he rubbed his hands down his thighs before tucking his hands into the sleeves of his hoodie. “Insomnia sucks, but you can’t let it control you. Especially if this is all caused by a scary movie, because one sleepless night turns into two, and then three until you realize you haven’t slept in a couple days.”

He could see the snarky response coming from a mile away before it was even said. It was that smug look that sold him out. _‘Has this happened to you, Tom Thumb, or are you humouring me?’_

A hand was held up and it stopped him from saying it. “Is it the creativity in you that’s leading you to think there’s something here with you?”

“Other than you?” Virgil gave him a deadpan and Roman only grinned, but it was gone after a second. “… I guess.”

“Distracting yourself won’t really help,” he admitted finally, leaning forwards on his own knees, keeping his head at an angle where it was still comfortable enough to look up. “I’ve tried. How long have you been trying?”

“Three hours.”

“Exactly. If distracting yourself hasn’t helped yet, I don’t think it’s going to any time soon.” He then rubbed the back of his neck, focusing his attention elsewhere for a moment. “Would you feel better if I stayed for a bit?”

He got a reaction almost instantly. “You don’t have to do that. Really, it’s not that big of a deal.”

Virgil shrugged his shoulders before wrapping his arms around himself. “I know what it’s like to think about the worst possible situations alone at ungodly hours.” He felt the pity stare, but made it a point to look anywhere that wasn’t Roman. “I offered, anyway so, whatever, I guess.”

It took a moment before it clicked and understanding flooded forwards.

“You don’t want to be alone tonight, either, do you?”

He watched as Virgil flinched before his shoulders tensed. The body language wasn’t hard to read, even if he was smaller than the average person. The lighting in the room also wasn’t great, but it wasn’t poor enough to hide the grimace on the smaller features either. Then his shoulders were released and the boy was shaking his head slightly, his chin resting in the palm of his hand.

After what seemed like forever, Virgil was actually turning to look at him. “Are you going to say something stupid if I say yes?”

Of course, his friend looked offended by that, before seeing the insecurity lurking behind those eyes. “’Course not,” he offered instead, “when have I ever done something like that?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Yeah, no, okay. I see your point.” Though, the quiet was held again, he had to ask, honestly. “Nightmare?”

“Ah, no, not exactly,” he answered, tucking a bit further into his hoodie, almost as if he were trying to hide in it. To hide away from the world. “I’d call it more of a … resurfacing memory.”

Roman bit his lip. Must have been pretty bad if he came out here searching for comfort instead of seeking Patton out. Which, did confuse him. If he wanted comfort, why did he come here? Maybe it was the fact that he knew he would be awake at this point or maybe it was because Virgil knew Roman wouldn’t smother him the same way Patton would.

Bless Patton’s heart, really, but when those dad instincts kicked in, they kicked in _hard._

It didn’t matter who he was focused on, whether it was him, Logan or Virgil, they have all felt it at some time or another. That overwhelming want to make sure they were okay.

They had all been smothered by the well-meaning ball of constant energy.

When Virgil had twisted his wrist a couple weeks back—rendering him incapable of climbing around anywhere—the boy could barely take a few minutes to himself without that doting compassion constantly focused on him.

Instead of saying something, knowing for a fact that he wasn’t incredibly good at being fuzzy and cutesy with words, he offered his cupped hands out in front of himself.

“You know me,” he shrugged his shoulders when he got a confused look in response to his invitation. “I’m not great at this whole fuzzy, warm stuff. That’s Padre’s specialty.” Virgil quirked a brow in question, prompting him to keep talking. “I’ll take you up on that offer earlier. It would be nice to have another presence that I know and trust in the room. So, what do you say, Short Stack, wanna have a sleepover?”

“First of all, never call it a _sleepover_ again.” He adjusted his hoodie. Belaying his words, Virgil pushed himself off of the knee and into the hands of his friend. Almost instantly he was surrounded by warmth and a comfort, but it wasn’t smothering. “Secondly, this entire thing is for you. I don’t need the reassurance.”

“Yeah, sure,” Roman agreed, bringing his hands closer to himself, before shifting so that he back in his normal spot on the bed. “Whatever you say.”

He let his partner back off onto the pillow he had tumbled into earlier, this time though, the pillow itself was pushed a bit more to the side to give him a little bit more space on the bed.

It didn’t take long before the two were getting comfortable and Roman had grabbed his phone before settling back down and shutting the flashlight off. He reached over the borrower to plug his phone back into the charger and laid against the softness of his pillow, tucked comfortably underneath the comforter.

When Roman turned his head, he saw that Virgil was curled into his hoodie, looking all the world like he was content that way. So, he allowed himself to stare at the ceiling for a moment.

He was about to break the silence when the latter did instead.

“Did you know that 3 am is supposed to be the Devil’s hour? Said a lot of haunting stuff happens around this time.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Virgil.”

The human got nothing more than a snort from beside him, before the sound of it being stifled.

Obviously he was trying not to laugh too loudly, but coming from such a small pair of lungs, his breath support would never really be enough to be truly loud.

The thought that it was now the Devil’s hour wasn’t really making sleep come any easier at this point.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil laughed, a hand covering his mouth, “I couldn’t help it.”

“Yeah whatever,” Roman mumbled right back at him, turning his head just enough to see the smaller form in his peripheral vision.

Another moment of silence passed as Virgil tried to calm himself down, and after his laughter did eventually stop, Roman thought they would be done for the night.

Oh, how very wrong he was.

“Do you need a strong man like me to protect you?”

Roman sighed loudly. Making it a point to show just how exasperated he was with this.

Though, when he heard Virgil’s laughter resume again, almost as if this time it was louder, he couldn’t help but feel a grin cross his own features. It was rare when he heard the latter laugh like nothing else in the world mattered. He wasn’t honestly sure if he had ever heard such unabashed laughter from the borrower before now.

He chuckled a bit himself, before shaking his head. The two calmed down a little bit after that and the quite was held, but this time it was warmer. The tone was lighter, brighter.

In all honesty, he was feeling much better now, the pictures from the movie laying nearly completely forgotten in the back of his head. It was also nice to know that he had someone he knew and trusted directly to his right just in case those feelings did change.

Having another person in the room was also relieving as well.

“Thank you,” Roman spoke up, but this time his voice was quieter, it held more meaning.

He heard the movement from right beside him and he adjusted his attention just enough to see the smaller companion, laying on his stomach now to face him.

“For what?”

“For staying here with me,” he offered back, letting his hands rest over his stomach and letting his eyes trail back to the ceiling. “And for feeling comfortable enough to let me know that you were here seeking solidarity as well.”

Virgil rolled over onto his back, pulling his hood up over his head and shoving his hands into his pockets. He shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever, Princey,” he mumbled, “shut up and go to sleep.”

If the words had been said in an argument, Roman knew that they would have held more of a punch, but at this time of night, he knew it was a bit more well-meaning. So, he only grinned and finally shut his eyes to get some sleep.

Just as he was about to drift off, after what felt like five or six minutes later, he heard the small voice speak up again.

It was almost so quiet that he could have sworn that he had imagined it: “You’re welcome.”

It did make him feel better that Virgil knew he was appreciated.

So, with that in mind, he was able to push all of the other thoughts from mind. He wasn’t alone and this time those words didn’t send uneasiness into him.


	9. Untitled #9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil refuses to speak. Logan and Roman are frustrated, and Patton tries for what seems like the hundredth time.  
> This is complete.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, we’ve been arguing about this for ages,” an exasperated voice sounded from the living room, although the tone was hushed, as if trying to keep someone from hearing the conversation. “We can’t help him unless he tells us what’s wrong.”

“The kid’s just a bit shy is all—”

“It’s been two weeks Patton and he’s said nothing to us. _Two_ _weeks,”_ Roman countered back, taking Logan’s side on this, “if anything, it’s just pure stubbornness driving him now.”

He was being ganged up on; all of this was because of how the little human they had rescued from the shelter still refused to say anything.

Patton could swear that there was a deeper meaning behind his resolute silence, but it was obvious that Roman and Logan were frustrated by it. Each to their own, he knew. Each had tried, to no avail, to get the little one to speak. Hadn’t even gotten a name out of him. The shelter had been rough, the people had been somewhat hostile and the name they had given him hadn’t suited the kid.

So … they didn’t exactly call him anything.

But there had to be a reason. Everyone had a motive for something, especially if it came to withholding information.

He shuffled back and forth on his feet uncomfortably. “Let me try again,” that earnest look fluttered across his features, “just don’t decide anything too hastily, okay? Maybe—maybe time was all he needed, right? Maybe now he’d be more willing to speak up.”

Silence held between the two other men, before Roman sighed. “Alright. It is safer to say that Pat may have a better chance.”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “That said though, you have tried to speak with him more than the rest of us, Patton, and he still refuses to say anything at all. Not a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ If anything, the silence just gets heavier.”

“I know, I know,” Patton’s eyes flickered between the both of them, but he was staying stern on this. “Just let me try again, alright? Persistence will usually help.”

“Have at it.”

The dismissive tone that he got was a bit disheartening, but it wouldn’t stop his attempt from making at least some ground with the human.

He watched quietly as Logan took his leave, the sound of his bedroom door closing resounded through the halls. It was only a few minutes later before Roman retired to his room, only to reappear minutes later with a bag slung over his shoulder and his car keys in hand. Patton was quickly reminded that the roommate had rehearsal that night.

Which, with Logan in his room and Roman out of the house, would be optimal time to try and make some leverage with the boy.

When the quiet of the living room held and it didn’t seem to be lessening either, save for the consistent ticking of the clock. He knew that he would have to initiate the conversation as the little one wouldn’t even look in his direction half the time.

It took no time to reach his bedroom. When they had first planned this entire thing out, agreeing that getting a human out of the awful living conditions they were in, the box would stay in his bedroom.

And when he opened the door, that’s where he was.

The blankets and pillows and such to help make it feel a bit more comfortable. The sound of a movie playing quietly caught his attention and he saw the iPod—that had been given to the boy as means of entertainment when they weren’t around, or when he wanted alone time (which was all of the time mostly)—pushed up against the side of the box and the boy laying on his stomach in front of it, his arms propped up to support his head.

The sight made his heart ache. The kid was a gentle soul, if a bit too shy for his own good.

There had been some improvement, however, from the first day they had brought him back—where he hadn’t even left the box, no matter how much they assured him he was safe—to now, where he seemed to feel safe enough to watch a movie or a video or whatever it was in full view.

Though, when he stepped fully into the bedroom, the shoulders tensed almost instantly and he watched as the kid reached forwards and paused it without even looking in his direction.

Wide, frightened brown eyes turned to face his own and instantly Patton felt the need to say something.

He stayed where he was though after shutting the door and leaning comfortably against it. “No, no, it’s okay, kiddo,” he promised quietly, offering a small smile in encouragement. “I’m not here to bother you. I just wanted to talk for a little bit.” There was then a grimace that followed that and he felt his heart sink.

So, it would be one-way then.

That was okay. It wasn’t like he was unused to it.

He was also in no position to really force the kid to say something if he didn’t want to. It wouldn’t be fair and, in all honesty, would most likely do more harm than good.

So, he came a bit further into the room and took a seat a few paces away from the box. He tried not to let the fact that he flinched away from him affect him too much, as it only seemed to hurt more. The constant reassurances didn’t seem to really help the boy’s trust, which was understandable, but it was saddening.

The lady at the shelter, Lillian, had sort of given them the lowdown of what had happened in the previous home. Why the boy was so quick to snap, or to instantly shy away from the attention. Why he would flinch when they made normal movements or even turn away when they paid him too much attention.

She had explained that the last person who had him was a bit “rough.” The woman had refused to go any deeper than that—said that the person they had taken the kid from refused to give answers and the human himself had sworn himself into silence—and if he wanted those answers, he had to ask the kid himself.

After he actually got him talking.

There were a few things that he wanted to know before anything else. The kid’s name, his preferences, things that freaked him out and that they could work on together. Things to make this home feel a bit more comfortable for him.

Patton was used to sitting in the silence with the little one, knowing that his presence probably intimidated him to not speak, but he wanted to understand _why_ that was. He wanted to know what had happened to him, what terrified him into silence, so that they could avoid the same things. The last thing he wanted to do was unintentionally intimidate him further.

“Watching something interesting?” He decided to break the silence that way, watching as the boy shifted a bit more, sitting cross-legged, but hiding in that dark hoodie, as if trying to hide in plain sight.

The boy shrugged in response, looking uneasy. From where Patton was sitting, he couldn’t tell if it was a show he had found on the internet that was made by the kid’s kind, or the movies that had come with the rest of the race from the previous place.

It did make him uncomfortable, knowing that humans were just as brilliant as they were, but had been forced down to believe they were nothing more than entertainment.

It was absolutely _sick_.

He hummed in response, showing that he was listening. He bit his lower lip, a slight pause in the question he wanted to ask. After a brief debate with himself, Patton realized that if he really wanted answers, he needed to actually hear the voice of the boy. Shaking his head and nods could only do so much for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions. Conversations were difficult when it was just one-sided all the time.

“Look,” he started off gently, a reassuring look in his eyes to give a silent promise that everything was fine, “I know you don’t want to talk to me and I respect that. I’m not going to force you to, but this is getting harder by the day, kiddo.” The boy’s shoulders dropped from their tense position, a sad look flitted across his face. “And I really, really want to respect your boundaries because I know how important boundaries are, but we really need to know how you feel. How we can help you feel more at home.”

He took a breath, just watching the emotions seemingly flutter across the smaller features, the warring expressions were showing much more of an inner battle than maybe he felt comfortable showing, or speaking for that matter.

There was a reason why the kid wouldn’t talk to them. There had to be. No one just stayed silent on their own freewill. Everyone had to speak at one point or another, unless they physically couldn’t. So, it left Patton wondering about the backstory that Lillian had left out when she explained everything at the shelter.

Another moment of quiet passed. “I know talking is hard,” he needed to show that he really did understand. “And I know that being with three strangers can be frightening and that’s okay, but we really just want to help. I know Logan and Roman can be a bit much sometimes, but you don’t even have to talk to them if you don’t want to.” And that was true. “It’s perfectly okay to be scared, but, at the very least, can I have your name?”

Patton knew that names could be a very personal topic to talk about, especially for humans. A lot of the time, they would be wiped of their usual name and given a new one that suited them ‘better.’ If anything, it just made him uncomfortable. They had personalities and names and to have that taken away seemed…impersonal.

There was nothing wrong with being quiet, there were also plenty of times where peace and quiet was the best thing for the household. Sometimes it could be so alive and full of movement, that a little silence never hurt anyone. That taking time to be with just yourself could be helpful, especially if one was overwhelmed by the world.

At most times, Patton would be happy to leave the little human to his own devices—he did want him to have as much independence as possible without getting hurt—but right now, he needed a little bit of proof that he could speak at all.

If the kid was mute, that would open a whole new set of doors that none of them had thought would be the reason to why the constant silence.

Though, when he met the smaller brown eyes again, he noticed something deeper behind them. Something that showed a true flourish of understanding, almost as if this was the first time that it was sinking in that he was in a safe place. That his opinions would be valued and respected.

The human bit into his lower lip, looking hesitant, when Patton nodded lightly, trying to be as encouraging as possible without looking too excited by the fact he might actually get to hear some real words.

A frown was set on the smaller features, before he dipped his head down, looking away from him. “I-I thought—”

Patton’s heart stammered in his chest. He _could_ speak and he _was_ speaking. _To him_.

His voice softened a bit more. “You thought what?”

The smaller hands seemed to be digging into his hoodie, trying to find a way to form the words without retreating and staying silent. There was that inner battle, showing how much he wanted to do one thing, but the other half of him saying that it wasn’t the best idea.

The human took a breath, trying to steady himself. “I just thought you wanted me to stay quiet…”

That sentence stunned him, honestly. Why on earth would they want him to stay silent? Almost as if the little one could hear the unasked question, he continued, if a bit more hesitantly.

At first, he opened his mouth, looking as if he was ready to open up about the story, before he shut his mouth again. He hesitated again, looking nervous and scared for a moment.

It drove a sharp wedge into Patton’s chest, such delicate features so painted with terror over opening up.

“The, uh, the last person I was with. He, um, wasn’t really all that, you know, _forgiving,”_ his nails seemed to be digging further into his arm, looking reluctant to share this information. “He didn’t really like it when I spoke my mind. I-I just stopped talking altogether and that’s when the hurt stopped.” _That’s when the abuse wasn’t_ as _bad. The ‘hurt’ never truly stopped._ “I just … I thought you would want that too …”

Patton was almost at a loss of what to say to that. The last person he had been with hadn’t been forgiving?

He had been aware that the little one had been abused, but not to the point where he had been afraid to talk for fear of being hurt. No one should have to deal with that sort of trauma. At least not alone.

Lillian had said that his past ‘owner’ had been rough and cruel, but she hadn’t elaborated into the physical side of it. She had said that the human was shy of touch and would lash out if one tried to do so. She had said that consent was a big thing with this one and that was fair.

The short glances he was being given was slowly allowing him to piece the puzzle of the kid’s past together.

Humans had minds of their own and, while a lot of people nowadays didn’t think they did, were allowed to speak their opinions. It was certainly like that in this house. There were times where they spoke over him, not intending to really cut off any of his silent looks. It would happen from time to time, where the human sometimes went unnoticed when Logan and Roman got into an argument and Patton tried to distract the two of them to settle them down.

There was a deep sympathy that filled his chest, almost weighing him down. The silence he was getting now, it was obvious that the kid was waiting for something.

Something _painful_.

Patton clasped his hands in front of him, savvy to how the boy flinched slightly from the innocent motion. “Of course not,” he breathed after a moment, the tiny shoulders were tensed and frightened. “We wouldn’t … ah, geez. I had no idea.”

The kid shrugged in response, making it his mission to keep his eyes down. Looking anywhere but Patton. It was heartbreaking.

The little details like that didn’t go unnoticed and Patton had been picking up, slowly but surely, on the boy’s behaviours. Whether how he was when the others raised their voices, or if he was asked too many questions, or when there was too much attention on him and he would rather shy away and hide in his jacket—which was admittedly maybe a bit big for him—than face them down.

There had been a few nights where he was still laying awake in his bed, at awful hours of the night—it was a big thing for him, making sure the others had gone to bed and then doing the same himself—and he had heard the smallest of sounds coming from the box pushed into the corner of the room.

There had been one night in particular when he had heard, what he had thought was, the smallest shout possible. Panting had then followed after it and then the sound of muffled sobs. It was so obvious that the little one had woken with a nightmare. The new surroundings had probably frightened him more as well, even though he was anything but trapped.

One of the other workers at the shelter had explained that keeping the human in the box without a way out would be the best way to prevent him from hurting himself or attempting to escape. Patton had ignored those instructions almost as soon as they had gotten home and had cut a small doorway, or something of the like, into the side of the box and allowing an in and out for when he wanted to leave the box without needing assistance. Plus, feelings of claustrophobia would be heightened in a place where one couldn’t escape. The last thing he would want was to have the human experience a panic attack because he felt unsafe in his own bed.

With a gentle sigh, Patton lowered himself down a bit further so he was laying on his stomach, his head propped up in his hands. The human had flinched again, but he didn’t acknowledge it.

“I just want you to know that, even if things get a bit … loud around here, no one means you any harm,” Patton told him quietly, an earnest look shining through dark brown eyes. “I know the house can be a bit crazy sometimes and that’s probably frightening—” A small, nervous half-laugh, half-breathing out uncomfortably from the human was heard, “—and I understand that. It’s a normal response to being around strangers.”

When he felt he had been watching him for a bit too long, Patton let his eyes roam over the interior of the box. It didn’t really look incredibly homey, even after offering the boy one of his older shirts to sleep in. He made a mental note to possibly get rid of the box altogether and find a more suitable place for the little one.

Though, when he looked back onto the small form, the brown eyes were wide and focused on his own. The surprised look on the human’s features made him feel so horribly guilty.

“We’re— we’re not going to punish you for speaking your mind,” he continued after a moment and those tiny brown eyes almost seemed to get wider, more emotional. “Your opinion means just as much as mine does, or Logan’s does, or Roman’s. I want to know what you like and don’t like. I want to know about what makes you uncomfortable or scared, so we can work around that. I want to know about _you_ , kiddo.”

A moment passed and it took a moment before the human hiccuped, a small intake of a quick breath and he choked on what sounded like a sob.

The sound instantly made Patton’s fatherly instincts kick in and the first thing he wanted to do was reach out and try and comfort him, except in this situation, that wouldn’t really work out in his favour. “Awe, bud, that’s not what—”

“T-thank you,” the human breathed instead. His voice was a bit muffled from how he was hiding his face behind his sleeves, but Patton could hear it nonetheless. “I don’t—this isn’t … I’ve never-”

A softer look fluttered over his features and he shuffled a bit closer, not enough to loom, but enough to be as close as he dared. “You don’t have to thank me,” he promised him quietly, offering a gentle grin in response to the teary look he got. “Your words have just as much meaning as mine do. You’ve got a good head on those shoulders, I know you do. You’ve made it this far, haven’t you?” The sad expression turned almost confused, so Patton elaborated. “You’re _talking_ to me. I think it’s absolutely incredible that you’re saying anything at all to me. That’s strength right there.”

It was quiet for a little while after that and the boy seemed to try and clean himself up, using the sleeves of his jacket to dab at the wetness under his eyes, or just scrubbing completely to clear his face of any sadness at all.

Letting out emotions in this sort of way was healthy though, so saying otherwise would be wrong. It might seem like it hurts more, having a fit or being so openly vulnerable, but in the end, having someone actually willing to listen to you and sticking around was the best way to deal with untapped emotions. Or the ones that people liked to tuck away and keep them hidden under lock and key, never to see the light of day until they reach their breaking point.

It’s a painful process, Patton had felt it himself. In fact, he was still in healing from coming clean about how he actually felt and was still working through some problems of his own.

While he hadn’t exactly come in here expecting the human to talk to him, nevertheless open up about his past, there was still something crucial that he was missing. Without a name, it just made everything that much more difficult. They wouldn’t know what to address him by, or what he found uncomfortable or offensive.

The name at the shelter had been rubbish, in all honesty. It hadn’t suited him at all. Almost as if it were a throwaway at that point, but the fact that they still remained unknown to his true name was a bit startling.

While Patton had no trouble using nicknames, it didn’t always feel right to be addressing him like that when talking about a more serious topic. It was almost like it would take away from the topic or the seriousness of it.

A faint noise, almost sounding like someone was taking a breath, drew Patton from his thoughts. He could see the inner battle on the features again, almost clear as day.

What was—

“—Virgil.”

The sudden admittance actually startled him so badly he blinked, confused for a moment. “W-what?”

The human turned away from him, head bowed and eyes squeezed shut. He was waiting in preparation again. “It’s my name … I just, um, thought-” The boy cut himself off almost instantly before biting into his lower lip. “I-I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have … I just assumed. It’s stupid, I know, I–”

“Wait, wait,” this time Patton cut him off, but his tone remained soft, but the way that Virgil seemed to be so self-deprecating was upsetting. “What are you apologizing for?” After he had voiced the question, the smaller shoulders bunched again and it hit him. He was worried his name would be changed to something else and that admitting his real name would only lead to more hurt. Understanding flooded forwards almost instantly. “Awe, bud, there’s nothing to be sorry about, I promise. I _asked_ for your name.”

He kept his head tilted downwards, but there seemed to be a small realization that followed. “You’re— you’re not going to change it?”

“Heavens no,” was the answer. “That’s your name. It wouldn’t be fair to change it. Heck, I think your name suits you really well, too.”

It took a moment, but Virgil’s attention shifted once more and he allowed himself to meet his eyes. There was emotion swimming behind them, he knew that. They were sitting in the quiet again before, but this time it was far from uncomfortable.

The thought that the boy—Virgil—was so ready to give up his name, to relent and give up the fight, it didn’t sit well with him. There had been so much damage done to him that he carried that over with him into his new home. The idea that someone could be so cruel to creatures that were relatively helpless when it came to caring for themselves in this world was sickening.

Surely, before everything had happened, humans had taken care of themselves. Created societies, laws, built what they believed to be sky-scrapers. He had heard that they had even sent someone to the moon. They were certainly brilliant.

After everything had changed for them, well, his own kind had forced them down and they didn’t put up a fight. There had been, for a little while, but of course, they hadn’t won it and humans were downgraded. Not that everyone thought it was the right thing, but it had been a couple years by now and they were seen more as pets and companions then anything else. Sometimes pests by other people. It was truly disheartening.

Then there was this little one, sitting in the box looking more than ready to give up everything, including his personal name, just to keep from being hurt further.

How people could do it, Patton would never know.

Well, he had pretty much gotten the answers he had come in here for, so really, he didn’t need to be here any longer than need be. With that in mind, he pushed himself up onto his knees.

After a heartbeat of hesitance, Virgil finally spoke up to him. “Do you— wanna watch with me?”

The request was quiet and feeble, but it surprised him nonetheless.

“You want me too?”

Virgil shrugged in answer, looking like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it in the long run.

Grinning, Patton adjusted his glasses. “If you’ll have me.”

The smile he got in return to that made warmth fill his chest. It was the first time he had actually seen Virgil smile since he got here, and it was heartwarming.

It took no time at all, but Patton had grabbed a couple pillows from his bed and brought them over to the box, a blanket was tugged from the bed as well. With a quiet request from the human—and the explanation that it would be easier for the both of them to watch—the iPod had been moved to sit outside the box, laid up against the side to keep it propped up.

The two got a bit more comfortable like that. It took Virgil a moment to remember he was safe, even with having Patton right at his back and he had sunk slightly into the pillow, creating a small crease. He tucked himself into his own blanket and his hoodie in turn.

He looked back to Patton, almost as if asking for permission to start the video again, when he got a gentle nod in reassurance. He had reached forwards and pressed the play button, nearly the size of his hand he noted, before sitting back and curling into the warmth the blanket and jacket offered him.

Maybe, just maybe, not everyone in this Godforsaken world was all _that_ bad.


	10. Untitled #10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil feels bad and while Logan wants to help, he doesn't really know how.  
> This one is complete.

The window was open, allowing a cool breeze to flutter into the bedroom and the house in turn.

The night sky was beautiful, the stars were smattered across the sky like crushed diamonds littering a black canvas. The shimmering, the shinning and the way that it was one of the few things that truly scared him.

The idea of how big the universe truly was made him uncomfortable and it was no secret.

Even though it made him uncomfortable, there was really no way to turn away from such a dazzling sight. Watching the starry sky was much more interesting than laying back in bed and staring up at a beige ceiling.

The quiet from the bed behind him spoke to a sleeping human, which allowed the borrower to have some time to himself.

_If you compare yourself to a human, you’re almost pathetically small, yet compared to the universe, you’re absolutely insignificant._

The thoughts made him pull his knees closer up to his chest, allowing his chin to rest on the tops of his knees as his arms wrapped around his legs protectively. The stars were gorgeous, but the feelings inside of him were less so.

It wasn’t that Virgil could even say that they were wrong. They _weren’t_.

If he were to compare himself to a human, to Logan for instance, there was so much that he couldn’t do. Or wouldn’t even dream of being able to do if it weren’t for the other’s assistance in some tasks. Then taking that and comparing that to the rest of the universe?

A weight sunk into his chest and dug deeply, a wedge that wouldn’t be easily removed, he knew.

He let out a small breath, trying to let the cool air refresh himself. At least clear his thoughts a little bit. Life wasn’t really fair, he knew that too, but there wasn’t much he could do to change that fact. There was nothing he could actually do, if he were being honest.

Honesty, the one thing that sometimes ruined his life more than anything.

Facing hard truths when he didn’t want to, being real with himself when it was difficult. Wanting nothing more than to believe a fantastical whim, yet being unable to convince himself of the outlandish dreams.

The sound of blankets shuffling behind him would have gone almost completely unnoticed if it weren’t for the attempted light footsteps following afterwards.

Virgil tilted his head to the side just enough to catch Logan approaching out of the corner of his eye. His attention shifted back to staring outside.

It was easy to tell when the human was nearly behind him. The feeling of having someone directly behind you and looming nearly completely over top of you wasn’t an easy one to miss, or _ignore_ for that matter. So, he didn’t say anything right away. The bit of tension in his shoulders had probably been enough to let Logan know that he knew he was there.

The quiet held for a little while longer, but the more they held it, the more awkward it seemed to be getting. Or, maybe it was just him.

A breath from above him was taken in, filling lungs that were probably bigger than he was, before being let out. It ruffled his hair forwards lightly and he tucked a bit further into his hoodie in answer. Because of the gust of warm air, Virgil could tell almost perfectly that Logan was fairly close to him. Not that it was incredibly uncomfortable, but proximity had always been a touchy subject for him; especially so when the person in his personal space was human.

Another moment passed and he tilted his head in the opposite direction, finally allowing himself the peace of tearing his eyes away from the night sky.

“You can see Orion exceptionally well tonight,” Logan’s voice was fairly quiet—partially because of how late it was and partially because of how small the conversationee was—but loud enough to show that he wasn’t talking to himself.

Though, Virgil _had_ made that mistake before.

Exhaustion wasn’t the only thing in the air tonight, but he was truly hoping that Logan wouldn’t pick up on how he was feeling. Neither of them were good with the whole “emotional support” thing, so it was possible that Virgil would get out this without having to admit his problems.

The last thing he wanted right now, was to voice how pathetic he felt. It would only make him feel more so.

“I guess,” the borrower replied after a second of hesitance, a noncommittal shrug following suit.

In all honesty, he didn’t know much about the constellations, or space for that matter. Not that he really cared about it either. The thought that something so vast existed, possibly rendering his own kind completely useless in all reality, made him uneasy. Though, when the human you lived with had a fascination for it, you didn’t really have a choice in whether or not you picked a few things up.

Maybe if he just stayed quiet, Logan would take the silent hint to start talking about it and would eventually get so lost in the explanation that he would distract himself.

It had happened before. He’d seen it on multiple occasions.

“Virgil?” Logan tried gaining his attention. He didn’t get much in response but a slight tilt of the head in his direction. He took that as enough initiative as he needed. “While emotions are not my field of expertise, it isn’t difficult to notice that something is wrong. Are you alright?”

There was another non-committal shrug in response.

Admittedly, it was a bit frustrating to not get vocal answers but there wasn’t really much he could do about it.

Though, behind the resolute silence, there was something else. It wasn’t very usual that Virgil was still awake at these hours of the night just because he wanted to be. There was something else happening. It didn’t take someone that could read a person’s expressions to know that.

So, adjusting from the position from where he had been leaning, Logan was crouching instead, allowing himself to be a little more at eye-level with the borrower if he decided to actually look at him.

“Will you tell me?”

The question nearly startled Virgil. It wasn’t very often that the two of them got vulnerable with each other, if _ever_. He didn’t necessarily want to talk about it either, but he knew just how stubborn Logan could be if he wanted answers.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to,” Logan continued, letting his eyes move to watch out the window, gazing towards the stars that littered the heavens, “it is up to you, entirely, but I assure you that your feelings aren’t unimportant.”

While neither of them had been exactly great at coming clean with such baggage, there had been moments when they had shared such things with each other. Reassuring words weren’t exactly easy to express, nor was the comfort that seemed to be so natural for Patton. It was thoughts like these that made Virgil feel even more useless than staring up at the vast expanse of sky.

The fact that he could barely make someone feel better if they were dragging their feet. Or how he needed assistance in every day tasks that wouldn’t get accomplished if it weren’t for a helping human hand.

“It’s stupid,” Virgil muttered into the sleeves of his hoodie.

Logan sighed. “It’s not stupid if it’s affecting your sleeping habits.”

“Its not affecting my sleeping habits.”

“Mhmm,” the bespectacled male hummed in response. “How much have you slept the past week, if I may?”

The silence he got to the question was more telling than words would be.

Though, just when he thought he was going to have to pry a bit more to get something other than silence, the small voice cut him off.

“It’s just—” Virgil shook his head, as if trying to dismiss it altogether. “It’s all just so _big_. The sky, space, the world. Hell, even _humans_.”

He had dealt with these existential crises before, it was nothing that he couldn’t handle, but this was one of the very few times he allowed anyone else in on his ramblings. A lot the fact that he separated himself from the others when this happened was because he didn’t want them to see him in such a weakened state. At a place where it was obvious how he felt as that would derive the feelings of pity, where it wasn’t wanted or where it wasn’t needed.

“It just makes me feel …” Look, here he was, explaining how he felt to _Logan_. When had it come to this? “I dunno, _insignificant,_ I guess. Compared to everything else, what can I do?”

So, that’s what this was all about. While being a comforting presence wasn’t something he was good at doing, Logan did know that there was some logical reasoning behind these negative feelings, which certainly made more sense.

Though, the weight that was suddenly in his chest said something almost completely different.

“You do know you’re not insignificant, yes?”

Whether or not Virgil wanted to have this conversation, it was an important topic to touch on anyways. If this was how he always felt, then Logan was certainly less observant than he thought he was.

There was quiet again, not that he was surprised, but when the borrower did turn to face him for the first time had gotten up, Logan could see that insecurity almost clear as day. The darkness hindered his sight a bit, but the lights from the outside did wash in with some warm yellow light.

A sharp wedge was lodged into his chest at the sad look, a part of him wanted to do something to make it go away but the other part of him didn’t know how. Comforting someone wasn’t really something Logan knew how to do. He wasn’t good with reassurances or quiet promises. He liked cold hard facts and results, but stating something so brashly might only upset Virgil further and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Speaking of said male, Virgil was tilting his head away again, instead looking as if he was staring at the window sill beneath him. “I told you it was stupid, it’s not even that big of a deal. It’s whatever, I guess. You’ve been so generous letting me live here with you, out in the open and I can do jack all to repay you for it.”

“Stop doing that,” Logan said. “You keep underestimating your self worth. Degrading yourself is only going to wind up hurting you more in the long run.” He then paused, taking in the rest of what Virgil had said. “I also fail to understand why you keep comparing yourself to me. We’re both completely different. Maybe not in biology or appearances, but in the fact that you have been so self sufficient for the majority of your life because you’ve been forced to adapt to an ever changing lifestyle, which might I add, is highly impressive.”

“You’re just saying that,” was the short answer he got in response.

So, this was how it was going to be. It wasn’t hard for Logan to see himself in the slumped shoulders of his—technically speaking—roommate. However, perhaps evidence would help ease this feeling a little bit better.

Virgil tucked his chin into the crooks of his arms, pulling his knees tighter to his chest as he watched out the window. “Just- I can’t do anything to help you around the house … I feel like I’m slacking, you know, just freeloading.”

“Falsehood.” The sudden statement caused him to look back to Logan, only to find that said human wasn’t looking at him. “You have done a lot more to help me than you seem to think. You have a keen eye for incredibly small details, which certainly assists me.” 

“Uh-huh,” Virgil sounded unconvinced. “How so?”

Ah, so supporting evidence would be necessary. “Do you recall the time when I couldn’t find that important flash-drive?”

“The one that had your big end of semester project on it?”

Logan nodded in affirmation. “While I thought for sure that I had lost it for good, and admittedly was not handling it in the most professional fashion, you had managed to keep a level head given the circumstances and instead offered different ways of trying to find it. Retracing my steps, searching the house from top to bottom without tearing it completely apart. Even offered your assistance to look in places that I wouldn’t be able to reach. Because of your persistence, it was found within the hour.”

Virgil was giving him that silent _‘so what?’_ sort of look, so he elaborated a bit more.

“I wasn’t the one who found it, as you know. Without your help, Lord knows what would have come of my project. It was nearly a pass or fail grade, it was worth 60%. If you hadn’t of found it, all that progress would have been lost.”

“I know you’re trying to help me, but this is almost making me feel worse.”

“And why would that be the case?” Logan pressed a bit further, however he fully intended on leaving Virgil alone if that’s what the situation called for. Until then, though, he wasn’t really going anywhere no matter the time of night.

He was given a third shrug in answer.

Although, that was really the only answer he needed. It was almost at that moment that Logan realized a lot of this self-deprecating was just coming from the negative outlook Virgil had on life. Which was fair, even if pessimism was not the best way to handle every situation. Though, he couldn’t really say anything of the such without sounding a bit hypocritical. Logan had had his fair share of negative outlooks and pessimistic statements.

While Logan had managed to get out of it, Virgil just seemed to be … _stuck_ there.

“That’s just … _one_ thing,” Virgil admitted finally, almost as if it was more to himself, than to Logan. “You’ve known about me for nearly a year now and I still haven’t really done anything to help you.”

Did he not feel that finding the flash-drive was important? Perhaps it wasn’t as big a deal to Virgil as it was to him, possibly because without the borrower’s assistance Logan wouldn’t have found his end of the semester project and all of those all–nighters would have been for absolutely nothing. The significance seemed to be lost on him, so maybe Logan would have to find something a bit more relevant to ease his worries.

After a moment of deliberation, he knew what he needed to say. Even though _touchy-feely_ moments like this were rare, they _did_ happen.

Logan could recall one evening where he was feeling overwhelmed and upset by everything and nothing at the same time. It had been frustrating and confusing and frightening all at once. While he tried not to let it get to him, or show for that matter, there were times where he had locked himself into his room and stayed there. Emotions were difficult. It was more often than not that feelings would block out any rational thought.

When he had been going through this, he remembered quite clearly sitting with his back pressed against the door, his head between his knees as he tried to block out the world.

His glasses had been tossed to the side carelessly while his frustrations took hold. Logan had just had so much going through his head that there was no chance at all to calm himself down. Not when he didn’t know _why_ he was feeling like he was.

The smallest voice had spoken up, sounding worried and conflicted.

Logan’s attention had turned at that time, blurred over by tears and his imperfect eyesight; colours had meshed together in a mash of light and shapes.

He had just been able to make out the form of the borrower, seemingly shuffling nervously on his feet as if he didn’t really know what to do, but trying his damned best. Logan had only been aware of Virgil’s presence in his apartment for maybe a month or two when he had finally had his emotional overload.

While they sat in silence for a majority of the time, he had been reassured that feeling upset didn’t make him any less of who he was. Virgil had promised that just because he felt like this, it didn’t mean that it would hurt forever. While Logan’s logic should have been telling him the same thing, it seemed as if it was easier to hear from a secondary source instead of himself.

Logan shook himself back from his thoughts, realizing that he had been staring at one specific spot for far too long. His attention turned downwards, seeing the smaller shoulders hunched. Seems Virgil’s position hadn’t changed much.

He knew what he needed to do, he wasn’t going to let his roommate stay like this. Not when Logan actually knew how to help for once.

“Someone once told me that feeling is natural,” he broke the silence, obviously startling Virgil into looking back at him. This time, Logan met the confused, smaller eyes with a gentler look before continuing. “I remember he found me on the floor of my bedroom, distraught. Instead of commenting on that weakness like he could have, he told me that it was okay, that everything was alright even though I didn’t feel like it was. He said that these feelings would pass, no matter how long it felt like it would last. He even sat with me in the silence, even if it was a little bit awkward at first.” Logan got a smaller chuckle from that sentence from the smaller male, but before Virgil could speak, he finished his thought. “That certain someone has been a bigger influence on my life than a lot of people my own size have been. He’s pushed me and helped me understand the importance of allowing myself to feel every once in a while.”

Logan broke eye-contact with Virgil for a moment, feeling unwanted emotions rushing forwards at the admittance, but doing his best to keep them from coming out when he didn’t want them to.

There was movement in the corner of his eyes and he watched quietly as Virgil used the sleeves of his hoodie to wipe just under his eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you feel as if you can’t do anything, no matter how incorrect that statement might be.” Adjusting his glasses, Logan moved from a crouch, to kneeling as it was a bit more comfortable. “While I find emotions unbearable, everyone has them, whether he like to admit it or not. I want you to know that you have made me a better person. And before you say I’m wrong, which never happens mind you—,” he got another laugh, but this one was more unsteady, almost hurting, “—it is the truth. You’re not afraid to call me out when I’m being difficult and even though our first meeting was … _unpleasant_ , to put it lightly, you still stick around.”

“Stop getting sentimental,” Virgil’s request was feeble, but Logan could tell that it wasn’t serious. The shaky grin that was on the smaller features almost said something more than words could. “You’re making this whole _self-deprecation_ thing harder.”

“Than I suppose I’ve done my job,” Logan replied.

The two quietly shared a moment of a true heartfelt connection. The reassurances Logan had reaffirmed had made Virgil feel quite a bit better, even if there was still the small niggling of self-doubt in his chest, but for right now, he elected to ignore it.

After the minute had passed, there was a sudden reminder of how late it was into the night.

Logan stood up after a moment of silent deliberation, wanting to stretch his legs before easing himself back down into a crouch. “While I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, I will advise that getting to bed would be an ideal course of action for you.”

Virgil rolled his eyes, but the ghost of a smirk remained. Leave it to Logan to ruin a perfectly good moment of silence with facts.

He then nodded his head. “Alright,” he agreed after a moment.

“Satisfactory,” the other replied, pushing himself into a stand once more, intending to turn right back to his own bed when he noticed how Virgil hadn’t moved from his position on the windowsill.

While all Logan really wanted to do was go back to bed, he knew that asking once more wouldn’t really hurt anyone.

So, he leaned his arms against the sill, slightly unintentionally looming over Virgil, but intentionally being in his personal space. “I am inclined to ask, however. Are you feeling any better?”

While having Logan so close to him was a big unnerving, Virgil knew he wasn’t really in any danger. He took in a deep breathe of the cool air seeping in through the window and held it for a moment. His eyes had fluttered shut as he just took in the fresh air in front of him and the comforting warmth from behind him. Two complete opposites and yet he felt fine.

He let out the breath with a sigh and he released the tension from his shoulders and relaxed almost completely.

With the stars glittering high in the sky, the whispered promise that Logan needed him was much better than the crushing weight of just how small he was compared to the rest of the world. That he was needed by someone bigger than himself.

That he was _needed_ by someone.

Virgil leaned back on his hands, stretching out into a more comfortable position before bumping lightly against Logan’s forearm.

The borrower tilted his head upwards, finding chocolate brown eyes looking back down to him through glass lenses. A gentler grin crossed Virgil’s features and he nodded.

“Yeah,” he finally said, after a heartbeat of heartfelt silence. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (can you guys tell what my favourite trope/pairing is yet? :D)


	11. Nightingale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Blood, gore, death, mentions of abuse.  
> Pairings: Platonic Logince, romantic Prinxiety (mentioned).

“Sing!”

Everything in him wanted to say _“no.”_

Everything in him wanted to demand he be released for what would be the hundredth time. To demand that this charade would only last for so long. That someone would come for him, to take him back home after making sure that these petty thieves got what they deserved.

He could feel the attention of the rest of the camp watching him intently. The sharp, hot, eager gazes that knew they would eventually get what they wanted from him.

It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. It made the blood in his veins feel like ice, yet burn through him at the same time. To know that they could get what they wanted from him so easily.

At one point, he would have said _“no.”_

At one point, he would have demanded his freedom.

At one point, he would have defied everything they were telling him to do.

“Sing, little Nightingale, _sing!”_

The nickname, at any other time, would have been anything but derogatory. If it were coming from someone that he admired—a face that very vividly came to mind, a face that he yearned to see at least one more time—the nickname would have been soft and caring. Sweet. Something to be treasured and cherished.

But having it come from the mouth of a drunken man that decided he was worth kidnapping for his voice, to be used for their entertainment, it sounded as if the name was a slur.

A name that made him wince.

While everything in him was telling him to bark something back, to tell them to stuff their _wants_ and their _demands_ where the sun didn’t shine, Roman held his tongue.

He knew better.

He had tried to backtalk and it hadn’t ended in his favour. The reminder made him feel sick.

————

_“This is absolutely barbaric,” he had spat at the men standing in front of him, standing over two hunched over forms. Two others held them in place and kept them from fighting. One was in tears and the other sat in resigned silence. “You wouldn’t make me choose.”_

_“Don’t be so cocky, boy,” the man just behind him hissed into his ear, causing Roman to tense up, tilting his head away to try and put some space between them no matter how futile the attempt. “You don’t understand what we’re capable of doing.”_

_“Capable of being a pack of half-witted delinquents. If that’s what you’re going for, you’re doing splendidly.”_

_“Watch your tongue!”_

_T_ _he feeling of a sharp weapon suddenly digging into his lower back gave him pause. Even with the threat there, he sent a heated glare towards the one man right in front of him._

_“Foolish of you to assume I listen to orders from a witless mongrel,” he barked, staying silent only proved to hurt more._

_Though, when a sharp yelp of pain was derived from the young man knelt closest to him, ice was shoved into his chest. Almost immediately he had shut his mouth. A terror that was cold and biting stopped him from spitting another insult._

_“Decide,” the thief spat at him, “one of them lives, the other dies. It’s a simple choice.”_

_Deciding over who got to live and who had to die was not a simple choice by any means._

_While his bonds cut further into his wrists, he could feel the tip of the blade digging slightly into his back; a looming threat that if he didn’t say anything, there would be a world of hurt coming._

_There was howling laughter from the others, as if this was some cruel sport that they were making him play for their entertainment._

_Roman hated it._

_He hated everything about this._

_“Come on now, Songbird, decide.”_

_He had already made his choice. Deep down in him, he knew he had already made his choice._

_The tired chocolate brown eyes of a close friend looked to him from his knelt position, even as blood trickled from his nose. A silent look was hidden behind those emotions; exhaustion, resilience, yet there was also something that said he was ready to give up his own life for the life of an innocent._

_‘It’s okay,’ Virgil had mouthed to him before nodding slightly to the sobbing stranger beside him. ‘It’s okay if you don’t choose me.’_

_Nothing about this was okay._

_It was almost too sickeningly easy._

_Roman didn’t know the stranger, while he had spent far too many nights with Virgil to be able to let it go. To be able to let them do something far too gruesome to him just for the sport of it._

_He had gotten the other into this mess and he was going to do his damned best to get him out of it, too._

_“Have you made your decision?” The man closest to him spat, causing Roman recoil from the proximity._

_He could only muster a single nod._

_“Good,” the man crooned, removing the tip of his weapon from his back, before moving stand just over Virgil, the same weapon held under his throat threateningly. His friend didn’t move, but an almost unnoticeable wince showed just how terrified he was. “This one?”_

_When Roman met Virgil’s eyes again he saw the flash of terror, the panic that was rising in his chest. Then there was a look of resignation, as if he had accepted it._

_He felt like he was going to throw up._

_Roman shook his head, unable to speak._

_He couldn’t bear the look of surprise on Virgil’s features, even the realization that flickered._

_The blade was removed from his throat and was instead moved to the other’s. Their sobs got louder in response to feeling the cold metal._ _“This one?”_

_There was a single nod offered and instantly he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to tune it out._

_The sound of something soft being sliced through would haunt him. The silence that followed the resounding thud was the only thing he could hear ringing in his ears. His entire body was tense with fear, anger, every emotion that he couldn’t express with his hands bound. There was so much he wanted to do to them. So much that he wished would happen to them._

_After a second, he reopened his eyes and he met that of his companion’s. They were wide, terrified. There was blood staining Virgil’s clothes, but it wasn’t his own and Roman felt a heave rise in his throat._

_“Let him go,” he spoke up, a weak plead, “please. You have no use for him.”_

_“I’m sure we could find another use for him,” one said, getting a bit too close to Virgil for Roman’s comfort, using the tip of a knife to tilt the other’s chin up._

_It took only a moment before the latter spat in his face. “Don’t touch me.”_

_The thief flinched back instantly, leaving a small nick on the underside of Virgil’s chin, but he said nothing about it._

_“If anything, he needs to learn his place.”_

_That was a shock. A stab of instant worry was the only thing Roman could feel at that moment._

_“Let him go and I won’t say another word!”_

_The words were out before Roman even knew he had said them. The startled gazes of their captors turned to face him, their leader looked down his nose at him. Seemingly considering the offer._

_Virgil’s eyes were wide, surprised at the fact that Roman would give up his freewill just to get him to safety._

_“Really?” The leader stated._

_Roman’s pleads got more desperate. “I’ll do whatever you want, just- please, let him go.”_

_“A deal like that is hard to refuse,” he said instead. The man turned on his heel and grabbed the knife from the other’s hands, using the same weapon to threaten Virgil’s life again. “If we let this one go, you’ll do anything we say?”_

_“Roman don’t—” Virgil was cut off when the knife dug deeper into him and he winced._

“Anything,” _Roman agreed. “I’m begging you. Let him go and let him live.”_

_After a moment of silence, the knife was removed from his partner’s throat and his bonds were sliced. Two men from either side of Virgil grasped him by the shoulders and dragged him to his feet._

_While the helpless look never left Roman’s face, the anxious one that fluttered over his own would forever be ingrained into his memory._

_While Virgil’s angry shouts and swears faded from the night, swallowed up by the forest that surrounded them, the painful pounding of Roman’s heart never ceased._

_“Now,” the leader grinned sharp as a dagger, sheathing the knife in it’s rightful spot before turning on his heel and looking their capture up and down. “Stay true to your deal boy, or there will be Hell to pay.”_

———— _  
_

The tune started slow, a low resounding noise in his chest. A hum that reverberated through him, a song that he had had memorized ever since he was a little boy.

It was a song that he had taught to his beloved, even though his beloved felt as if he wasn’t worthy.

The song itself gave him comfort almost.

A sound that he could lose himself in, find a place to hide away and stay there for all of a few minutes. For however long he decided he would draw the music out. Sometimes it was slow, sometimes it was fast.

Sometimes his emotions would get to him and his voice would break.

He wasn’t proud of it. He wasn’t proud of any of his work.

Roman used to be able to take pride in his music, in _himself_. Ever since his capture, everything had changed. Without a choice in how he was able to share his talent, a _gift_ as he had once been told, there was no heart in it anymore.

He had once been able to attract a crowd of willing listeners, grins of children that would push him onward, before bringing them into the song as well, allowing for them to experience and try and play around. To have fun when doing something so meaningful. To discover and laugh.

The sounds of the thieves relaxing to the song was all he could focus on, even as he shut his eyes. He ignored the chafing of his wrists. He ignored the cuts that lined his arms and sides, the stinging that never ceased. He ignored the aching pain in his chest. The longing he felt.

Instead, he focused on a evocative picture of sparkling brown eyes, a smile that would astound him every time it was flashed his way, brown bangs that would hang in front of such lively eyes.

As his voice grew in strength, he could hear his partner’s voice joining him in his head, bringing him back to a simpler time.

The sounds of hands drumming along in a timed rhythm with the song and suddenly he was no longer stuck behind bars with a travelling group of outlaws but was back home in the town square during one of the Midsummer festivals, a hand in his own as they danced. Bangles of gold and silver, hues of royal reds, purples and blues flashed through his memory. Laughter and warmth. Noises of the bangles jingling together and the excited chatter of the children in the village.

The faint sound of feet pounding against the ground in an exhilarated dance, hands clapping in time with the beat, bringing the colourful town to life. The sounds of instruments being strummed and pounded.

The rising moon in the back of his mind as he held onto his partner, moving in sync as they held onto each other. Twisting and twirling in practiced motions, memorized patterns.

The melodic laughter from his sweetheart was one of the few things that kept Roman going. On the vague hope that he would see him at least one more time.

As he spun the imaginary form into his arms, it was as if he could almost feel the actual warmth of someone in real time. The colours of his clothing twirled as the form did. The feeling of their hands intertwined, with one resting on his shoulder to keep his darling upright.

The scent of rose and lavender filled his senses, the smell of which his partner nearly always smelt of. Working with herbs gave him an earthy scent, something that could calm Roman within minutes. Holding his significant other in his arms only made it easier.

It was almost as if he could feel the cool touch of grass beneath his toes.

It was easy for Roman to lose himself in the song when he focused on surroundings that were no longer his every day reality. To sing and sit behind bars would not derive the feeling he needed to present.

He had tried performing halfheartedly. He had tried to keep his voice low and unheard. It had only resulted in pain and suffering. The young man had instead resorted to trying to picture that he was anywhere else than where he actually was.

As the song faded, so did the vivid image of the countryside and the festival’s coloured lights. The feeling of Virgil’s hand in his own seemed non-existent and the warmth disappeared as soon as his passion did.

When he had finally finished, he reopened his eyes, welcomed back with the unnerving sight of the others watching him intently.

He dropped his gaze to his hand, letting the thumb of his opposite run over the palm, as if trying to bring back the feeling of warmth and safety he had felt.

“Another,” someone demanded of him, someone far too close to the outside of his bars for comfort and he winced away from them. His wrists burning from the rope digging into them.

This was just torture. They were torturing him without really touching him.

He knew that if he didn’t do what they said, he would be putting his partner in danger again and that was the last thing he was ready to do. He’d stay in the firing line if that meant Virgil got out of this. If he got the chance to live his life like it was supposed to be lived.

“Come now, little Songbird. With a voice like that, there must always be an encore!”

 _Like there’s a choice_ , he sneered inwardly.

Just as Roman was about to snark something back at him, the flash of wide, terrified eyes and the sound of a body slumping to the ground resounded in his head and he shut his mouth.

It was a promise that he couldn’t risk breaking.

Instead, he began to tap against the bottom of the cage. The wood gave the sound he wanted, but not the atmosphere he dreamed of. Tapping in a rhythm that would be easy even for these imbeciles to follow.

It took a minute, but they were soon following his lead and the pounding was being repeated into the night air, creating a beautifully, haunting, echoing sound against the woods.

Another tune started again, but it wasn’t nearly as low in his chest as the first had been. The words, though he knew them by heart, started almost a count too late for his taste. A part of him took pleasure being able to sing in another language, as Gaelic was far from something this band of misfits knew.

Perhaps it was better that way, when they didn’t understand the lyrics.

While Gaelic was not his mother tongue, after countless nights practicing and learning from the others, he was able to repeat the song back to them without a hitch.

It was a tradition for at least one of the songs at their Midsummer’s festivals to be in the foreign tongue as it was said to honour the original settlers of the town itself.

Roman allowed himself to close his eyes again, drifting off to a place where he could find comfort. Though, the more he allowed himself to drift into the memories, the more unsteady the song became.

————

There it was again, that soft hymn of something on the wind.

It was something that Logan had come to recognize. Something that he had almost started to expect to hear every night at this point.

A voice, quiet as it was, carried on the peace of the night. While a sound that never ceased would usually cause discomfort or frustration, this sound was softer. It allowed him to relax in his study late into the night when his work kept him up.

It hadn’t always been there, he knew. From the very time he had settled in this area, there had only been the sounds of the birds or the babbling brook a couple of paces away from his doorstep.

The new addition of such a small sound only proved that there must have been some sort of travelling band in the area. They had been there for a few nights by this time, even as he sat by the window, a wicker candle sat on the windowsill with a flame that flickered back and forth and a book in that sat open in his lap.

There was always the sounds of voices following after the song had ended and while it did make him feel uneasy, the songs themselves were melodic, whomever was singing them had a talent for the art of performance.

As intoxicating as the music would be, Logan had also begun to notice fluctuations in the notes. The voice cracking or breaking, turning into nothing but a noiseless whisper against the woodlands. Shouts would follow the fail and then there would be a tune again, but far less confident.

Some nights the songs would clear as the night sky, some nights the voice would break between notes. Almost as if the songs sometimes became a desperate latch on to a reality that was longer theirs. Of course, searching too far into something like this could prove fruitless as it may never be understood why the voice would crack.

A part of him knew that impeding in someone else’s business could only end in more trouble, but the sound of those shaky notes said something that perhaps real words may not be able to express accurately.

While a part of him believed that something horrible could be happening, another part of him said that perhaps he was just imagining the bad scenario. There were cheers and claps that would follow the performance, begging for another song to follow. The night would stay quiet for a little while, before another song would begin.

Though, he did notice that no one would thank them for the praise, which did say something about the situation.

Logan briefly wondered how long the traveling band planned to stay in the area. While it was a bit inconvenient having a group of humans constantly chattering, he supposed if that was all they did, there was no harm in having them around.

It did make the woods feel a tad less lonely.

While Logan did enjoy his solitude—the tranquility of the forest gave him peace of mind—there was always a somewhat lonesome aspect to living away from his own civilization. He was more likely to happen along human camps than he was to find someone like him wandering his close to the border. This wasn’t to say that he didn’t have the occasional visitor.

While he did find it a touch odd that there were humans this close to the border itself, it wasn’t truly any of his business. Even if the strained notes caused a slight discomfort in his chest that he didn’t necessarily appreciate.

Pushing his glasses back up so they sat more comfortably on his nose, he turned his attention back down to his book.

What did catch him off guard was the sudden breaking of the voice and the silence that followed. However, the quiet didn’t last and was instead filled with noise from that camp. Though, the voices didn’t sound all that pleasant.

While Logan couldn’t make out any distinctive words, it was rather obvious that said voices were unhappy that the song had ended early.

While it was a bit disappointing, he could admit, Logan felt as if there was no true reason to be upset over such a thing.

As much as he didn’t want to involve himself in some necessary confrontation, there was something telling him that leaving this situation unattended could end in someone getting hurt. The idea didn’t sit well with him in the least, so, with a resigned sigh, he placed a bookmark into the centre of it before shutting his book and setting it to the side.

Grabbing his coat from just beside the door, he stepped out into the cool autumn night. Winter was on the rise slowly, just as the moon was reaching its highest peak.

The crisp air was refreshing.

Logan tucked his jacket a bit closer to himself, shielding out the cold air. It was about time he got out anyways. He’d kept himself cooped up in his house nearly all day reading, getting work done. It was good to get out for a little bit, even if it was to soothe his curiosity.

Turning his attention towards the source of the noise, he carefully followed along a path that he had made for himself a couple of weeks back.

While creeping up on the camp wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, keeping as low a profile as possible may be the better option if they had weapons. Not that it would do much damage, but a right shot in just the right place could prove painful.

“… finish the tune, Songbird, come now,” a voice demanded, sharp as a knife. Harsh and cold. “Don’t leave us in silence.”

“… I-I can’t—” A softer voice replied, it was shakier, more timid than the other, as if it was worried about something. Possibly his safety. “I-it’s- I …”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, did I, boy?” The first voice replied, a rhetorical question, then there was the sound of metal on metal and it rang against the forest, a yelp of surprise followed after it. “I ordered you to finish the song. For talkin’ back, I s’pose it wouldn’t hurt to have you start it over.”

Logan furrowed his brows, lowering himself into more of a crouch when the camp finally came into view and he was peering just over the edge of the trees. While his presence was largely unknown, as he had taken measured care to manage his footsteps, it allowed him the perfect place to sit back and observe the situation in front of him before intervening. Perhaps he wouldn’t need to at all and he had the situation entirely wrong.

Though, when he took in the scene in front of him, Logan was disturbed to find that there was a young man sitting bound in what seemed to be a cage. It was odd, as he seemed to be just as human as the others that surrounded him.

Searching over, he found that each of the members currently surrounding him had red arm bands on the right biceps; an easy mark to show others that they were apart of a certain band.

The young male sitting trapped didn’t, which told Logan that he was a captive. As if the cage didn’t do that for him.

“It wasn’t a request, Songbird,” the first voice said again and Logan was quick to identify him as the leader of this operation. “It was a demand. You wouldn’t appose us, would you? You haven’t forgotten what happened the last time you spoke up without permission?”

The young man shifted uncomfortably, turning his head away. “… no.”

“Ah,” the leader crooned, leaning a bit further forwards, looking as if he were about to reach through the spaces between the bars. When his hand was inches away from the boy, he shifted away, pressing his back against the bars furthest from the man. Unhappy, but not lashing out, he said, “then sing.”

A moment of tense hesitance, Logan was just about to break his cover when the sound of a rhythmic tapping caught his attention instead. His gaze was drawn right back down to the kid in the cage—maybe not a _kid_ , per say, but a young man—dressed in a dirty white tunic and torn brown pants. A royal red silk belt was tied around his waist halfheartedly. He began to tap out a rhythm against the bottom of his confinement.

It took all of a few seconds before the rest of the camp began to join in on it and he was followed.

A moment later and a soft tune arose from the enclosure and Logan was welcomed with that same melodic voice from earlier. Seemed that the nightingale was not a _nightingale_ at all, it was a human boy that seemed to be used for his talents against his will.

The Gaelic that soon followed was something Logan recognized vaguely. There were a few words he picked up on such as _“lost love”_ and _“forgotten times,”_ it was obvious it was heartfelt lament that no one in the camp seemed to understand.

They obviously mistook the upbeat tune for something other than what it was.

While Logan was not fluent in the language, he knew enough to tell that this song was not for the thieves that kept him captive, but for the captive himself, possibly as a comfort.

Then, there was the shaky tone again. The notes were being missed and the voice was straining. He was trying to do his best without giving away how emotional the he really was.

The leader seemed to take badly to this revelation and he used the hilt of his weapon to knock against the bars of the cage again, making the song halt immediately in response. “When I said restart the song, I didn’t mean for you to restart with your bellyaching.”

“I-I know, but I—” The boy was cut off and he flinched back as the cage was knocked on again.

“Stop with your words, and start with the music again, boy.”

When the others began to chime in on how they felt the lad wasn’t trying, he could see the fear building on the kid’s features. It wasn’t hard to miss such terror.

Everything in Roman wanted him to snark back.

He was fighting against every one of his instincts by staying silent, but breaking his promise would only lead to more harm than good. Though, when being faced by a group of belittling thieves, there wasn’t much he could do to stop the fear that flickered or to stop the panic that was growing in his chest.

“I do believe the lad has every right to feel emotional,” Logan spoke up, finally revealing himself and causing the camp to silence almost instantly. “I would say that being stuck behind bars and then forced to sing for your pleasure, which is clearly against his will, would be a tad upsetting.”

As soon as a voice as deep as the night itself rumbled around them, Roman’s attention had shifted instantly from the leader to the newcomer.

He was startled to find a form that towered over the trees that surrounded the group, which only meant trouble for himself. There was nothing any of the men in the camp could do and he certainly couldn’t fight back if the giant deemed that he was worth taking.

From what he could see through the darkness, there were sharp, cold, analytical brown eyes watching each and everyone of them in the camp. The glasses that he wore just magnetized it. He could feel his heartbeat and he could hear the adrenaline rushing through his veins.

The first man took a step forwards, but his sword was drawn and raised. Almost as if a weapon like that would do any damage at all. “A-and what say you about this?”

While Logan was impressed by the fact that he was being stood up to, instead of having panic reign throughout the camp, it was very obvious that this human didn’t want to lose his “prize” because they had rightfully kidnapped the boy in the first place. Who was Logan to take that trophy away from them?

He watched quietly as they seemed to surround the confinement of their hostage, whom of which looked mortified in his own way. Each of them had their weapons drawn, looking as if they were ready to put up a futile fight.

It was almost comical, in a pathetic way.

There really wasn’t much they could do to keep him at bay. Though, the way that the determination seemed to settle within the group said that he may need to go into more drastic measures.

So be it.

“Ah, I see what’s going on here,” Logan mused, planting a hand in the centre of the camp, partially for intimidation purposes and partially because he needed to balance himself. The others seemed to push away from the limb, and the unsteadiness of the group grew. “You think I’ve come for your little Nightingale.”

Hearing the term from a completely new source made Roman’s stomach sink. Whomever this person was, only thought of him the same way the other’s did.

“What else would you be here for!” The man shouted up, his hand tightening on the weapon he wielded. “We’ve done nothing to you!”

“That is true, but it would be impossible not to hear the sounds of someone’s voice carry,” he scanned over the group, looking unimpressed, almost bored. “You have found yourself a prize worth being proud of.” He ignored the way the quiet noise of protest from the hostage dug into his chest deeper than he thought it would. “It would be a shameful of me if I were to take such a lovely voice away from you.”

The man stiffened at that, shoulders growing tense. “We shall fight you for the boy!”

“And you shall lose,” Logan shrugged his shoulders idly, “I fail to understand how you’ve not noticed the power I hold over each and every one of you. You may outnumber me, but you do not intimidate me. I advise you, do not be so foolish as to risk the safety of your men over something so trivial.”

While stooping to childish measures, such as knocking stuff over to cause a distraction, was not what he wanted to do, Logan wasn’t necessarily above it at this point. If he needed to get the kid out of there, then he would do what was needed.

This entire situation was just unnerving.

How humans could capture and keep one of their own as if they were nothing more than a treasure to either be hidden away or put out on display. He didn’t understand it and he might never understand the workings on their minds. Not that it was exactly the top priority, but it was endlessly fascinating, he would admit.

Now it was just getting tedious.

Humans were not a threat to him. He had slightly hoped that they would have gotten the hint and given up, but alas, the stubbornness of such people seemed to rage stronger than their short tempers.

“Well, you can make this easy on yourselves or you can be morons and make it difficult. Which option would you prefer?”

“We don’t take demands from the likes of you!” Another shouted and Logan’s cold gaze was drawn to the one that had said it.

“The likes of me?” He repeated, a brow quirked in question.

The same man seemed to seem less confident when Logan was looking right at him, holding his stare without once wavering.

“Do you wish to repeat that?”

When he was answered with nothing more than silence, Logan was satisfied that he had done nearly all he needed to. A lot of the intimidating just came from the fact that he was able to keep a cold exterior. It did make it easier that he really didn’t care much for this particular band of humans, save for the one that was currently there against his will.

Speaking of which, he leaned forwards a bit more, slightly unintentionally—but getting the exact reactions he wanted—blocking out the moonlight and casting the group in shadow. The kid in the cage seemed to shrink away from him as best as he could, eyes wide and terrified and, well, Logan couldn’t fault him for that.

“If you give up your little Songbird willingly,” the name sounded weird and unfamiliar, especially so since he wasn’t talking about a _bird_ at all, “I may take pity on your pathetic attempt.”

“I will never give up! I said we shall fight you for it!” The first man declared again, stabbing the weapon in Logan’s direction and said male rolled his eyes.

“How many times must I repeat myself before you brutes understand?” He quipped.

Roman had almost seen it coming from a mile away and he ducked a bit lower down. While he was grateful to be getting away from the very people that had caused him so much suffering, he felt as if being taken away with the giant wasn’t exactly a better option.

Not if he felt as though Roman was a prize.

Logan leaned a bit further forwards, reaching over each and every one of the thieves and lifted the cage from the ground with ease.

Even though Roman had tried to prepare himself, he wasn’t able to stop the yelp of surprise that escaped him. His stomach dropped as the cage was lifted so effortlessly off of the ground. Every other time his cage had had to be moved, there had been four or more men on it at all times to make sure it didn’t tip or break open if dropped.

Logan drew the confinement back over towards himself and settled it down right in front of his crouched position. “If you attempt to best me, you should understand the fight will all be for naught.”

“I have never—”

“Never what? Been bested by someone bigger than you? Seems that way,” he mused, “with an attitude like yours, I would understand if you’ve never been told the word ‘no.’ I would also recommend that you pack your things and leave this area by morning.”

“And why should we comply?”

“Perhaps it would make you feel safer to know that your camp is practically on my doorstep.”

The hush of uneasiness that fell over the group said more than words ever could. Of course that knowledge wouldn’t make them feel better, he knew that very well.

Even though the leader still seemed to be seething in his anger, there was nothing he could truly do to stop what was happening. They all knew that weapons would only get them so far and if those were to be taken, there would be no chance at all.

In a huff, the leader raised his hand and snapped his fingers, though his stony gaze never left Logan’s. He would admit, the bravery was mildly impressive, more barely amusing.

“As pleasant as this has been, the night does grow late.” Logan tipped his head in a nod, showing some sort of acknowledgement, it was only respectful, before picking up the cage with a gentleness that belayed the rough words. “If I return tomorrow, there better be no sign that you were even here. Best of luck.”

With that, he pushed himself back into a stand and brought the cage a bit closer to himself, almost as if he were trying to steady the boy inside of it. His weight was hardly noticeable, but as he fell back into a comfortable walking pace, he could feel the slight swaying from inside a bit more prominently.

While it was getting late, he had important things to deal with now and getting sleep was on that list, just not yet.

The trek back to his home almost seemed longer now that he had an unwilling passenger.

He entered his house moments later and shut the door, he slid his jacket off of his shoulders as an afterthought after transferring the confinement to one hand.

He was privy to the little noises coming from the human inside of the metal trap and it wasn’t that the terrified little sounds surprised Logan at all. Truly, any human with common sense would be frightened of something that could do whatever they pleased.

While that was not the case here, Logan hadn’t exactly explained himself or his actions to the captive.

The cage was settled down onto the counter of his kitchen not long after. The form inside of it cowered away from him, tucked into himself against the furthest bars possible.

“While telling you there is no reason to be afraid is illogical at this point, I would like to assure you that I don’t have the same plans for you as those thieves did,” Logan broke the tense silence.

Roman flinched back at the rough voice, before finding the words somewhat confusing. So, he wasn’t just some stolen prize? “I-I beg your pardon?”

While the giant seemed to be busy rummaging for something, it was obvious he had been heard. “As soon as I get that lock off of your confinement, you will be free to go. I certainly do not plan to keep you here against your will.”

When he came up with nothing, Logan shut one drawer before moving to the next one. After a second of rustling around, he was able to find the smallest knife he could. While it would terrify the captive anyhow, it was the least he could do.

He reached over and pulled the cage a bit closer to himself, the lock was impossibly small. It wouldn’t hinder him much, but it would make it a tad more difficult.

Getting the tip of the knife under the bridge of the lock took some maneuvering, especially to get it into the right position. It had slipped a couple times and the human and flinched with a gasp. Though, after he sucessfully managed to do it, it took one simple slight motion of the wrist and the lock was no more.

The door to the cage swung open after he pulled away and settled the knife a few paces away from the cage.

“I would recommend using the knife to cut yourself free,” Logan instructed, turning his back for a moment to shut the drawer he had left open.

There was no sound of movement for a minute, which was understandable, yet the constant fear was a bit frustrating. He had explained to the human he was safe, but yet he still showed the same terror—if not more—to him than he did with his human captors.

Roman hesitated, watching as the giant turned his back to him, seemingly distracted with another task.

But he did feel an onrush of emotions flood forwards at seeing the cage door open. The lock laying in pieces to the right of it. Seeing the knife come so close to him had been admittedly terrifying, but the promise had held up.

So, he eventually pushed himself into a shaky stand, using the bars behind him to pull himself up and keep him steady enough.

Freedom was right there and yet, in a way, he was still trapped.

Ignoring those thoughts, Roman moved to the edge of the cage before ducking through the low overhang and dropping the foot down onto the counter. The sight of the large kitchen was almost enough to stagger him completely. The fact that everything in here was not scaled to his size was incredible.

 _Incredibly horrifying,_ his mind supplied to him helpfully, _if the giant changes his mind, you’re screwed_.

He shook his head, as if shaking the awful truth away for the moment. While the knife itself was more than twice his size in length, Roman moved towards it, the only thing that would actually cut the ropes for good. He had tried biting them, countless times had he tried tearing through the ropes with his teeth only to be given a sore mouth and loss of hope.

Grabbing the flat of the blade as best as he could, he tried to pull it upright enough to actually get at the sharp edge. When that failed and it slipped from his hands, he jolted back.

The small curse split the air and Logan resisted the urge to turn to see what had happened. Had he cut himself? Injured himself further than what he already was? A brief glance over his shoulder proved that the human was struggling to keep the knife in a position that he could use to actually cut his bonds free.

As helpless as ever, he noted.

Turning back to face the kid, he reached over to grab the hilt of the knife, watching briefly as the human scooted a bit further away from him, even as he tilted it upright and held it loosely.

“This should make your task a bit easier,” Logan assured him when the confused brown eyes tilted up towards his own. “I only assumed that a little assistance would be necessary.”

“… thank you,” came the soft reply.

When the blade was tilted up for him like this, Roman could certainly get at the sharper edge easier. Though, the nervousness stuck in his stomach. The fact that anything could happen at this point was terrifying. So, he tried to shove the fear back and masked it with an air of, what he thought was, confidence.

He pulled himself forwards on his knees before placing the rope of the sharp of the blade and beginning to saw through it, aiming to carefully cut between his wrists and to try his best to keep from nicking himself in the meantime.

Though, his eyes did flutter up for a brief second and when he focused on the fingers thicker than he was, holding the knife up like it was nothing, an icy stab of fear fell into his gut. He was reminded at just how helpless he was.

So, he instead focused on doubling his efforts and getting the ropes cut quicker. The heaviness of the giant’s eyes on his back never lessened.

As soon as his wrists were free, another onslaught of emotions hit him from nowhere and Roman pushed himself away from the knife, his hands rubbing at the redness that circled his wrists. It had been so long since he had had full range of his wrists and the water that blurred his vision was almost a surprise to himself.

A shaky breath was taken in, even as he trembled with his reality. If the giant really meant what he said—how he would get to go home—than there was nothing to be afraid of. He could return to his life back in the village, he could embrace his darling again.

He actually stood a chance now.

This release must have been emotional and because of this, Logan didn’t really know what to do. So, he instead took the knife away and tucked it back into it’s proper place. Which then, if the little human was reacting like this, how long had he been an unwilling hostage?

“Judging by your stature, I would assume that they didn’t feed you very well, did they?”

At the suddenness of the voice, Roman’s gaze was drawn upwards, even as he rubbed the water from his eyes. “Ah, no, not really,” he admitted.

In all honesty, there were days that he went without eating. It wasn’t healthy, but it had been his only choice.

Logan made a low humming noise, letting his eyes flicker over the smaller form. “Perhaps you would want something to eat and drink before you head out on your way?”

While the question sounded more like a statement, almost as if he would be turned down if he said _“no,”_ Roman could admit that having something to eat before finding his way home would be ideal. “If it isn’t any trouble,” he adjusted his torn shirt, uncomfortable under the inquisitive gaze.

“I offered,” he stated with a shrug, adjusting his glasses before turning to focus on the next task.

Roman’s attention instead flickered back down to his wrist, the blood that had dried around the open cuts where the ropes at dug into him.

What he didn’t understand, out of this entire situation, was why he had been helped in the first place. It didn’t really make any sense to him. It would have been easy enough to have left him there, to pretend that he hadn’t seen a thing and moved on as if nothing had happened. Or to even just ignore the travelling band altogether. Or even, taken him and kept him in the cage, kept him bound and stuck at the mercy of another stranger. It wasn’t as if he really expected to be let go.

“I don’t understand,” his voice came out soft at first, conflicted and confused as his thumb ran over the tender skin on the inside of his wrist. He then turned his attention back to the other male. “I don’t understand why you helped me. Wouldn’t it have, I don’t know, been easier for you to have ignored it?”

Logan’s shoulders straightened after a moment, setting the cup he had filled with water off to the side, before looking briefly over his shoulder. Roman was peering at him, confused yet wanting to know the answer.

Why did humans have to be so frustratingly touchy?

“While, yes, it would have been far more logical to not have intervened in your situation, unfortunately emotions are not solely a human feature.” While digging around for something that Roman would actually be able to drink out of, he spoke up again. “Morals are also something that are not only a human feature and my curiosity had put me into a precarious position. Seemed I was blissfully ignorant to the true nature of humanity.”

It took a bit of work, but he was able to find something that would work a bit better for a drinking tool, before flickering over his pantry. Bread would most likely be the easiest option on someone’s digestive system if they hadn’t eaten in days. Something heavy may make them throw up.

Logan dipped the small container into the water carefully, before nudging it over towards the human without spilling any of the liquid. “I did not expect to be harboring a human tonight, so do excuse my lack of resources,” he then leaned against the opposing counter for a moment, eyes staying locked on the smaller form. “So, yes, I suppose it would have been easier if I had ignored the position you had found yourself in, but it would not have been fair. Certainly less so since I was able to do something about it.”

Roman seemed hesitant to reach for the water at first, but his thirst was greater a need than his pride was at the moment. After taking a greedy drink of the cool refreshment, he sat back a bit more comfortably. “So, you’re really not going to … _keep_ me?”

“Of course not,” Logan waved the worry away, “what good would that serve me?”

The human only shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno, it didn’t really serve the others any good … it was more for their entertainment, I guess.”

“Well, you have no need to fret about me doing the same thing,” he responded, pushing off of the counter and moving towards his pantry. “Unlike what others may tell you, I do have morals and they are, unfortunately, very loud.” Logan paused in the doorway of the pantry, looking over his shoulders. “You don’t have any allergies, do you?”

Logan would feel rather bad if he gave the boy something he couldn’t have and ended up doing more harm than good.

After Roman set the drink back down, he shook his head in answer.

He was honestly slightly surprised that he had been asked about that in the first place.

With a satisfied nod, Logan disappeared into the pantry to search through what would be suitable for the human. While he knew humans could eat everything they could, it was still difficult to find something that would be able to crumble into good portions without making too much of a mess.

While Logan seemed to be preoccupied, Roman let his eyes wander the rest of the kitchen. The house was astoundingly big and he was slightly shaken by the fact that when the caravan had picked their place of settlement for the couple weeks they planned to be there, that they hadn’t seen the mountainous cottage that had been nearly a mile or two away from the spot.

While it did make him uneasy, he was in no place to really voice that opinion. Not when he was being shown such hospitality instead of being stuck into another cage and being used for his voice.

That experience was certainly going to be something that was going to follow him into his dreams for nights to come. At least this time, he wouldn’t have to face his night-terrors alone anymore. As soon as he got home, everything would be back to the way it was.

At least, that was the hope.

It was the only hope that Roman could hold onto.

From what he could see of the home, it was nice. Orderly, everything had a place and everything stayed in that place. There were a few pictures on the walls, as well as some paintings. Pictures of ravines and mountains. He leaned a bit further to the side to peer into another room through the doorway, what seemed to be a living room and a study.

His attention shifted once more when Logan reappeared through the pantry’s doorway with the biggest loaf of bread Roman had ever seen in his life. Admittedly, he didn’t spend much time around giants, but he had met the odd few that would pass near the town he lived in.

The two races usually stayed away from each other, or as separated as possible. He had heard of cities that had integrated both into one society, but he failed to really understand how well that worked. While it would be an adventure every day to live in such a place, Roman was happy to live in a countryside human village with Virgil. It was peaceful, quiet and the town was almost always alive with music in the evenings.

It was a bit unsettling, seeing a _bigger_ knife making an appearance. Even focusing on how large Logan’s hands were compared to himself, or how easily he used the utensil.

So, he instead turned his attention away from that, sticking his thumb into his mouth before focusing on scrubbing the blood off of his wrists. He didn’t know when it had happened or how long it had been there, but he now had the chance to clean himself up to the best of his ability.

It stung, but that meant nothing to him. Not from everything else he had suffered through.

It took nearly a minute before there was a piece of bread being slid over to him.

“I do apologize, I’m sure it has become quite apparent that I don’t usually cater for people of your stature,” Logan said, leaning back against the counter once more.

Roman shook his head. “No, no, this is all— thank you.”

“It is the least I can do to assist you,” though there was something that was bothering him. However, he held off until Roman had at least had taken a few bites to settle his hunger. A moment of quiet passed before he found himself speaking again. “Though, I am curious. How long has that travelling band had you?”

It seemed he had asked the wrong question, as the human seemed to flinch slightly at that.

Roman dropped his eyes, just focusing on the bread that had been cut for him, even if it still had been a bit more cumbersome that what he was used to. “Four months, give or take.”

That nearly made Logan choke. _Four months_ and no one had thought to step in to help before now? The thought was upsetting. The only one who had managed to actually make a difference was himself and that was because he wasn’t necessarily human.

Watching the downtrodden look sneak across the human’s features—he really needed to ask his name—it was obvious that this was not the topic to be chatting so lightly about, so he decided to change the topic. “The song you had begun in Gaelic, that was a lament about a lover, was it not?”

A more surprised look flickered over his face and the surprised brown eyes turned up to meet his own. “Yeah, it was. You’re the first person to figure that out. Do you speak Gaelic?”

“Rather brokenly, if you must know,” Logan admitted, “but I was able to pick up on a few words. I am left to assume then, that you have a significant other waiting for you?”

Roman nodded his head, a gentle grin crossed his features, as if he was lost in memory. “Yeah,” he agreed again, “at least. I’m hoping so. I haven’t seen him in months. I can only hope he’s doing alright.”

 _Him,_ Logan filed that information away.

Roman knew that Virgil was fully capable of taking care of himself, but he didn’t want Virgil to worry himself sick over his absence—even if it was bound to happen anyways. Though, he ached to hold him again.

Hoping that all was well, was fair. Logan’s eyes flickered outside after a moment. It was possibly much later into the night than what would be healthy. He had stayed up far later than what was considered healthy, but sometimes it just needed to be that way if he were to finish some work.

Then again, it may not be perfectly safe letting the little human leave at this time of night.

Not if those thieves were scouring the forest in search of him, or if they were smart, packing and leaving. Not to mention the amount of nocturnal animals that would wander the forest looking for easy prey. The boy was weaponless, hell, he had been stripped of his _shoes_ as it seemed, if he needed to defend himself, he’d need to be crafty with weapons.

“I’m sure you have got nothing to fret about,” Logan said instead. Emotions were far from something he understood, but a fondness that ran that deep meant something to the human.

They fell into silence again and Roman finished off the piece of bread he had been given, which had been more than filling and finished off the water he had been offered as well. Which meant that leaving was his next priority.

“I, um, I want to thank you for all of this, really,” Roman pushed himself into a stand, letting his eyes wander the counter-top before turning his attention to Logan. “Without you, well, I’d still be a hostage. But I think that it’d be best if get on my way home.”

“Perhaps it would be best if you stayed.” Logan was quick to realize almost instantly after he saw the fear flicker on the human’s features that he had phrased that horribly wrong. “I meant the night, I didn’t—,” he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, “that came out wrong. I was just speculating that if you stayed the night you would have a better chance of getting home in the daylight than you would in the pitch dark of the forest. Not to mention, you must be absolutely exhausted.”

After the explanation, Roman’s tense shoulders released and he relaxed slightly.

God, hadn’t that been quite the scare?

As bad as he wanted to get home, he knew that trying to so while emotionally and physically spent would only hurt more in the end. “I suppose one more night away from home wouldn’t hurt too much,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “if you’ll have me.”

Logan quirked a brow as if to say, once again, _‘I offered.’_ The smirk on his face said more than words needed to. So, he pushed off of the counter again, only to pause for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. “I am afraid I never got your name.”

It almost hadn’t occurred to Roman that they hadn’t swapped names, but there hadn’t really been the grounds for it. “Oh. It’s Roman.”

“While the circumstances could certainly have been better, it is a pleasure, Roman,” Logan acknowledged, as if it was more of an afterthought than a topic to dwell on. “Logan.”

While the moment was admittedly soft, it was almost stifling.

He then exited the room altogether, leaving the human standing on the counter.

After a moment, Roman took a seat on the counter again, focusing down on his wrists, but with a smaller grin. A warmth bloomed in his chest as he let his eyes flutter closed, almost as if he could feel the heat of someone’s hands in his own.

After all of these months away, Roman was going home.


	12. Untitled #11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Patton gets cold, he searches for his certain angsty human son for warmth.  
> This one is complete.

Had the walls always been this cold?

In all honesty, Patton wasn’t really sure anymore. It had become a natural habit to come out and spend time in the actual house now, being able to spend time with the human that lived there, rather than staying hidden away in the cold darkness.

It was … wrong, technically. It was going against everything he had ever been taught. It went against everything that he was still learning.

The rules about being a borrower were simple: _Never be seen by a human. If seen by a human, never engage in conversation with the human. If one does engage in conversation with the human, do not reveal anything about one’s self or one’s kind._

It was all pretty straightforward. Easy to follow.

Patton had nearly broken every single rule that there was to follow. However, it wasn’t as if he had done it _just because_. It had been for the sake of his safety to get out of the mousetrap he had found himself in, but all in all the kid that had helped him had been understanding about it, if a bit nervous himself. Which was kind of funny, in it’s own way—a human being scared of a borrower.

What silly imagery.

Patton held himself a bit tighter, the shivers were non-stop at this point. He knew there were some blankets back home that he could probably wrap himself up in, but getting there would be even colder than his trek to the kitchen.

Autumn was coming faster than he had anticipated and admittedly prepared for.

And at this point, he _was_ closer to Virgil’s room that he was his own home.

Patton also knew for a fact—much to his underlying dismay—was that even though it was nearing 2 in the morning, that Virgil would still be awake. Most likely doing something on his phone, whether it was productive or just scrolling through the internet—it had been explained to him that there were different forums that he used but to be honest, Patton still didn’t really understand the draw of technology, even though it was fascinating. While phones could do a lot for you, sleeping should be more important than whatever was happening at 2 in the morning, if _anything_ was happening in the world at that time.

It was either he couldn’t sleep or just chose to actively avoid it.

Not that he could really blame the kid, but Patton worried about his health and his sleeping habits. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure how much Virgil _actually_ got and that only worried him more.

So, with that in mind as more of an excuse, Patton turned on his heel and maneuvered through the dark hallways of the walls. He knew his way around like the back of his hand, so the darkness was nothing new. He pretty much lived in the darkness before he had slipped up and managed to get himself caught in the mousetrap.

It took a couple minutes and the air only seemed to get colder, to the point where he was practically vibrating.

He dropped down about an inch onto the bottom floor before ducking underneath the wires that were still connected to the outlet and pushing the thing out of place. He slipped between the small opening he had created and the the outlet where the plugins went in.

He struggled for a moment, getting it back into the correct place without creating too much noise. As soon as it clicked back into place, Patton was scaling up the wires on the backside of the bedside table.

The small illumination coming from his right proved that his theory had been correct. Virgil was still awake, which right now, was what Patton needed. Even if he wanted the kid to hit the hay much earlier than this.

It took a little bit, but before long, he was heaving himself up onto the top of the bedside table. It seemed that his entire climb had gone unnoticed as there was no sound of movement from beside him. When he turned his attention to see why that was—as Virgil was usually incredibly observant. Almost to the point where he didn’t need to be—he noticed the boy had his headphones on, which would explain why he hadn’t heard anything.

Patton wasn’t sure if they were noise-cancelling, or if he really was just so quiet that he wouldn’t be heard over whatever Virgil was watching or listening to.

Well, it was all or nothing at this point.

Even though he had had to use energy to get up here, his body heat was quickly depleting. The cold was sinking back into his skin and he needed to find someway to keep himself as warm as possible. At least just for the night.

He walked across the top of the bedside table before easily hopping over the distance between it and the bed itself. It was nothing more than just a small gap, but the fall would be somewhat devastating. So, he didn’t think about it. Instead, he turned his attention to the fact that Virgil _still_ hadn’t clued in that he was there.

Unsurprising, he would admit to that. When Virgil focused, it was possible that he would hyper-focus on something and that would be that.

Hobbling over the unsteady surface and grasped a tight hold on the sleeve of the hoodie the human wore. It was actually a fair good stabilizer and even from this proximity, he could feel the heat radiating from the larger body.

It was at that moment when he finally got a reaction from the other. Patton could feel the tense muscles beneath his hands.

“Patton?” He heard Virgil’s voice rumble and his attention was drawn upwards instead. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you, kiddo! Why else would I be here?” He chirped back, before beginning his climb upwards.

The sudden tension that he was getting underneath his hands was showing how anxious this sort of contact made Virgil. While the proximity, as they had discussed, was not the leading problem, he had been told that it was more the fact that he really did not want Patton—or to not be the _reason_ he got hurt—to get injured in case something went wrong, or if he moved too suddenly. Patton had been quick to assure him that that would never happen.

He kept climbing, the thick soft fabric was a bit odd to climb on, but before long he was pulling himself up onto the kid’s chest, sitting right in front of where the phone was. Turning to look over his shoulders, and Virgil’s eyes were only slightly illuminated by the dim light on the phone, he gave him a grin in response. Whatever he had been watching had been paused and his headphones were pulled down around his shoulders, obviously giving the borrower his complete attention.

“I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright,” he spoke up, shifting himself around so he was sitting faced him, without having to turn his head and tilt it up. “Because I thought we talked about putting your phone away and starting a normal sleep schedule.”

Virgil hummed deep in his chest, the sound resonated through him. “Well, yeah, but I just got—”

“No excuses, Virgil,” Patton cut him off, that ‘worried parent’ look crossing his features. “Sleeping is really, really important. I’m sure that nothing on your phone is nearly as important as getting healthy amounts of rest is.”

At first, he was sure he was going to get some resistance and then the chest expanded underneath him before releasing in a sigh. “You’re right and I know you’re right, but it’s a hard habit to kick,” he motioned briefly to the paused video on his phone, “and I mean, cryptid and conspiracy theories—”

“You’re doing it again,” he cut the human off for a second time. “You agree and then you make another excuse. You know how beneficial a normal sleep schedule is. You’ll feel better in the morning. So, how about we put the phone away for the night and you get some sleep, okay?”

Virgil held Patton’s eyes for a moment, seeing the stern “dad-look”—as he had dubbed it—stay on the features.

He almost knew that he had already lost the battle before it had really begun.

After another moment of silence, he nodded his head finally. “Alright, fine,” he reached around himself, carefully aware of Patton’s position on him and trying not to upset it too much and set it off to the side. He pulled his phone up and exited out of his video, before almost getting distracted again. If it weren’t for the small tapping on his chest, he probably would have ended up just scrolling endlessly again.

He set that aside as well and plugged it in. He was kind of surprise and sort of impressed that he had managed to do it with one hand. Turning to actually plug it in with both hands would have forced him to move Patton and, with how content the little one looked, Virgil didn’t want to do that.

Though, this did put him into a bit of dilemma. Before he said anything though, he felt the slight shivering of the smaller body.

After a second, he realized that it probably wasn’t only his bad night habits that drew Patton in here, it could also be the fact that he was cold. Which also meant that the borrower probably didn’t want to leave and was waiting for the right time to ask.

Virgil drew in a small breath, before the smirk crossed his features and he was turning his attention back down to said borrower. “Feeling okay, Pat?”

The shoulders tensed for half a second, but there was then a sheepish grin aimed up towards him. “A bit cold, honestly.”

“Why don’t you stay here tonight, huh?” He offered. He could already see how comfortable Patton was, snuggled into the extra fabric of his hoodie. It would be kind of rude to make him leave at this point. While he was a bit nervous about moving in his sleep—even though he knew he didn’t—it wouldn’t be the end of the world letting him stay one night.

Patton seemed to light up at the idea. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, why not?” Virgil lifted a hand to press against Patton’s back as he got a bit more comfortable on the bed. After he found a better spot, he let it rest idly over his abdomen instead. “I doubt that the walls are all that warm, especially with fall coming in as fast as it is.” He then nudged him playfully in the back. “And you’re shaking like a leaf.”

The comparison was almost startling, especially with how Patton was probably the size of one. Though, he refrained from mentioning it. He was already painfully aware of how small the borrower was in the first place.

“You don’t have to do that,” was what he said, but the way he looked so comfy said something completely different. Seemed he had already planned to come and ask to stay the night and Virgil couldn’t blame him for that. It also wasn’t the first time Patton had actively sought him out for warmth.

There had been a handful—no pun intended—of times where the borrower had found him on the couch doing his own thing and asking if he would be able to take a nap in his hoodie pocket or to just relax in the hood of his jacket. It was a common occurrence in the daytime. This would be the first time that he had intended to actually sleep _on_ him.

While it did make Virgil a bit nervous, he knew he couldn’t really tell Patton “no.” Though, if he did feel extremely uncomfortable about the set up, he knew that the other would be understanding of his worries.

When silence seemed to prevail over everything else, he looked down as best as he could, noticing the smaller form curled up in the centre of his chest, looking as lazy and content as ever. “Warm?” He grinned slightly.

Patton only stirred a little bit, the sound of his voice probably shook him a bit more awake. “Mm,” came the quiet response.

“Alright.”

While Virgil knew that he could attempt to reach over and get his phone again, the small weight on his chest said otherwise. Instead, he huddled down a bit further into his hoodie and his comforter, moving his hands to cup the smaller form comfortably, before releasing as much tension as he possibly could.

His eyes met the ceiling after a moment, just scanning the pale beige roof, almost as if he were searching for an answer of some kind, before really letting himself relax.

Taking in a final breath to steady himself and his racing mind, Virgil let his eyes slip closed. Sleep never came easy, but tonight, he was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, didn't see you there, I was too busy, mmm, writing moxiety.  
> Heck, these two are actually too precious.


	13. Untitled #12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil just wants to nap, Patton offers to help.  
> This one is complete.

It was just one of those days.

One of those days where it felt like the weight of the world was constantly crushing down on your shoulders even though it wasn’t.

Like you weren’t doing anything right. Like there was nothing you could do to make yourself feel productive or useful in the slightest. When there was just so much that you could be doing, but couldn’t decide on what task to focus on, so you chose something that wasn’t productive in the least. Like how everything had a due date and everything was just focused around that one due date. When emotions were high strung and exhausting and confusing.

One of those days where you just felt _sad_.

There were different ways to deal with this routine sadness. You could do something active, distract your mind from the fact that you felt this way. You could watch something, yet another way to distract yourself from the negative thoughts invading your mind. One could sit and tell someone else about their feelings, asking silently for support without outright asking for it—or if you had the confidence, outright asking for someone to help support you.

That was not the kind of person Virgil was.

He couldn’t just outright ask for comfort, especially not when he didn’t want to bother someone else with his personal problems. Besides, it’s not like he can’t figure it out on his own anyways.

So, he just sat quietly on the back of the couch. The TV was playing idly in front of him, but it was more just a voiceless noise at this point, something that he wasn’t paying attention to.

He had been watching a movie with Roman before said man had to leave for rehearsal. The screen had been left on and Virgil hadn’t moved from that position yet. It had been nearly two hours at that point. It was just on the end credits of the movie now and, if he were being honest, he didn’t really remember which movie they had originally been watching.

There was a lot going through his mind. More just the fact that there was so much that he should be doing that he wasn’t doing. It was the anxiety talking to him. Such as _“if you don’t get this done immediately you are, without a doubt, going to die_ ” but then the other part of it was _“but if you work on it when you’re in this state, it will be half-assed and then you’ll have to go back and reedit it.”_

He tried to remain as cool and collected as he could on the outside, trying not to let the rest of the household in on the way he was truly feeling.

Because of these intrusive thoughts, he mood only soured more. In all honesty, Virgil just wanted to nap. At least to temporarily ease the pains of the waking world and just rest.

He was tired, _exhausted_.

Sleep hadn’t been coming easy to him for the past few nights and he was instead staying up late into the dead of night, looking on his phone and scrolling through posts and things that had no meaning. It wasn’t that he was avoiding sleep, that wasn’t the case, it was more so the fact that he couldn’t. It was like his body was trying to fight him every step of the way. And so, he would still be awake into the wee hours of the morning.

There was one time where when he had finally wrapped up whatever he was doing on his phone, he heard footsteps from outside of his room signifying that Logan was up. Which meant that it was around 5:30 in the morning. He had been startled for one, and for two, he had realized that getting to sleep at the point wouldn’t happen.

Virgil had pulled his second all-nighter in a row by then.

Tucking his knees closer to his chest, he let his arms fold over the tops of them and he rested his chin on his forearms. His eyelids were heavy with weariness, but with all of the stuff that he knew he should be doing, a nap should be the farthest thing from his mind.

But the way his shoulders were starting to sag and how heavy his head was … sleep was so much easier than worrying about his daily tasks.

It wouldn’t hurt if he took just a couple minutes to himself.

Just a few minutes of shutting his eyes. He could get the work done after. He would feel more refreshed and ready to actually get it done in the first place.

So, with that in mind, he allowed himself to close his eyes, but let his mind shut off for just a bit, enough time to catch up on some missed time. He would work better at full capacity and that way the work he _did_ get done wouldn’t be half-finished.

With the music from the end credits playing, it was quiet and peaceful and he could finally just—

“Hey kiddo,” Patton’s sudden entrance from behind him startled Virgil into snapping awake, whipping around to face him.

Heart pounding, he took in a soft breath to try and steady himself, taking in the confused and somewhat surprised look on the Patton’s features. Of course, as soon as he was so close to relaxing, that chance would be taken from him too.

While he was a bit bitter about it, he wasn’t about to show it.

“Is something the matter?”

Virgil shrugged his shoulders in response, using a hand to rub down his face, trying to rub the exhaustion away. “Not really,” he admitted, turning to look over his shoulder again. “I’m pretty tired, though.”

Patton’s expression softened a bit more at that, understanding flickered for a moment before a bit of guilt. “Were you just trying to nap?” The little human answered with a hesitant nod and he bit his lip. “I’m sorry for disturbing you, I didn’t know, I—”

“That’s okay, Pat,” he shrugged his shoulders, rubbing his eyes after stifling a yawn behind his hand, “no harm done.”

The silence prevailed behind him for a moment before the sound of clothing shifting followed and then light footsteps. It took a minute before Patton was sitting on the couch, his body turned just enough to see Virgil in full—which wasn’t really hard feat, especially now with how the little one seemed to be curled into himself.

“Have you not been sleeping well?” There was that concerned look, which seemed to only be magnetized by the large glasses sitting in front of big caring brown eyes.

Virgil only shrugged again.

It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable when they didn’t say anything, but there seemed to be a question that was hanging unsaid in the air: _Can I do anything to help you?_

He really appreciated Patton and his kindness, he really did. That constant worrying over if he was eating enough, drinking enough water, if he was taking care of himself properly. That _mother-hen_ attitude was really endearing, but there was nothing he could really do to help him right now. Especially because he was just sleepless and tired. The most that could probably knock him out would be sleeping pills or something, which, isn’t exactly ideal either. Virgil just wanted to nap, at least for an hour—that’s really all he was begging for—and pills might knock him out for the rest of the day only to wake up at an ungodly time of night and then hit the ‘not-sleeping’ cycle again.

Which wouldn’t do him any good.

And then, he had an idea.

A stupid idea. An idea that was actually something he didn’t know he had even wanted until the thought had come from nowhere. An idea that was so embarrassing to even _attempt_ to bring up in conversation without sounding needy or childish about it.

He turned his attention away from the larger presence, feeling heat creeping up the back of his neck. He could feel the pink tinting his cheeks, even as the warmth crept in. Suddenly, his hoodie felt a bit too warm for his liking and he rolled his hands into his sleeves, holding it tightly.

“Hey, uh,” breaking the silence wasn’t hard, it was what he was about to ask that was. Virgil cleared his throat after he knew he had Patton’s entire attention, even without needing to look at him—he could _feel_ it. “This is such a stupid request—”

“I can guarantee that whatever you’re about to ask me is going to be anything but stupid,” Patton cut him off gently, causing Virgil to turn and look at him. That encouraging smile on his features.

 _That’s what you think now,_ he grumbled inwardly.

Quickly, he took in a softer breath, steadying the sudden flush of anxiety that spiked in his chest. “I was just, ah, wondering if I could, y’know, maybe sleep in your pocket?”

Oh _God_ , it sounded even worse when he said it aloud.

He felt his face get hotter and instantly, upon seeing the somewhat surprised look cross Patton’s face, he turned away, wanting nothing more than to be able to pull his hood up and ignore this entire situation. To pretend that he had never said anything at all and just sit in silence like they had been before.

“Kiddo—”

“I know it was stupid,” Virgil cut him off with a nervous laugh, trying—in vain—to hide just how embarrassed he was for even considering something like that. “I get it, it was a dumb request and- and it’s awkward and I get that, like why would I even ask, right? It was needy and clingy and made his really weird … so, if we could just forget that I even asked that in the first place, that’d be, um, that’d be great and I’ll just—”

“Wait a second, Virgil, that’s not what I—”

“—I’ll just find another place to, you know, I dunno, sleep or something. I was just … talking without thinking and here I am probably making the situation worse. So, if it’s okay with you, I’m just going to, uh, head to my room and stay there. Hopefully get some sleep.” _Now with this terrible encounter under my belt, I can think about it for the next 20 or so years_. “So, I’ll just go …”

“Virgil wait.” It wasn’t a demand, more of a plead, but the tone of voice it was said in was serious. It left no room for argument and Virgil’s eyes met Patton’s, almost terrified to see what he would find there. “What on earth was all of that about? You don’t have to be … _ashamed_ to ask for something like that.”

The human swallowed nervously, the heat returning to his face and he knew that he was getting pinker by the second.

“You know me, I’m happy to help,” Patton continued his thought, leaning down a bit to get more on Virgil’s level. The sincerity was almost too much for him to face all at once. “If you want to nap in my pocket because it makes you feel better or safer, then that’s okay. If that’s what you need to actually get some sleep, then of course I’ll help you.”

The tension that had made Virgil’s shoulders tighten loosened almost instantly when he heard those words of affirmation. Every bad outcome to the situation—that had been helpfully supplied by his unhelpful anxiety—was thrown out and replaced by the fact that he wasn’t being turned away. That he wouldn’t have to live in the absolute embarrassment of asking in the first place.

At least, not for long.

Two cupped palms were raised in front of him and he slid off of the back of the couch with no hesitation. He stayed knelt comfortably on his hands and knees, though his stomach dropped when the hands did move on their own. It was still startling, even after staying around the three of them.

Usually, Virgil went places on his own. He would turn down help that was offered to him, mostly because he wanted to prove himself. (At least, that’s what he told himself.)

Instead of needing assistance into the pocket when the hand was close enough, to reach forwards and pulled the lip of the piece of sewn on fabric and peered inside. It wasn’t a far drop, so there was no use in wasting more time than necessary. He swung his legs over the edge of the palm and into the pocket itself, before pushing off and slipping into it with a controlled slide. The descent in had pushed his hood up and it laid half over his head and half over his shoulders.

It took him a minute of squirming to actually fit into the crevice of the pocket like he wanted to, laying it like a hammock. Except, in this hammock he was surrounded on all sides by safety and comfort and warmth.

There was the steady rise and fall of Patton’s chest to his left, the steady, thrumming heartbeat. It was a lulling sound, predictable and consistent. It was a sound that Virgil had found comfort listening to countless times before now.

Mixing the heat of the moment in with the comforting sounds and the exhaustion that he was feeling, the young male found himself pulling his hood up higher and tucking himself further into the crevice of the pocket and his hoodie in turn. This was the kind of feeling he had been yearning for. A gentle, understanding touch and a safe-place to relax. He was safe, he was comfortable and if he did wake a nightmare, he knew he could just raise his voice and he would be able to receive comfort within seconds.

He could feel the voice resonating to the left of him, but Virgil didn’t know what Patton was saying, possibly something along the lines of making sure he was comfortable. He wasn’t focused on the words, he was focused on the sound. The vibration that rumbled through him.

This was the intimate proximity that was relaxing. It wasn’t overbearing or overpowering. It was welcomed and special.

Virgil let his eyes slip shut and he crossed his arms over his chest, letting the exhaustion take over finally. In the peace and quiet of the pocket, he could succumb to his enervation.


	14. Untitled #13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being separated from one's family for too long can take a toll on them, good thing there's someone willing to lend a helping hand.  
> Pairings: Romantic/Parental Logicality, platonic Logince  
> This one is unfinished.

Desperation.

_Noun: a state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behavior._

The fact that he was currently sitting in a cage, the bars towering high over his head with a large silver lock keeping him sealed from the outside world, was what proved that his actions had been in desperation.

He could see the key to his cage hanging on the wall across the shop and out of reach. It was taunting him, a sharp reminder that his size made him insignificant to save himself.

However, if this was the fate he was to suffer in return for his family remaining safe then there was nothing he would change.

The pet store itself was humming with life. The birds to his right would chirp at each other and the mice to his left would chitter quietly as if they were in a deep and meaningful conversation. They had partners to talk to, to engage with, find comfort in.

Logan had no one.

Perhaps it was better that way.

If most of the others remained untouched and unknown. Though, there had been countless instances where his own kind had been found, stolen away and sold on the black market as if they were some prize to be owned. There had been cases of malpractices with younger children of the smaller race, or adults that were abused and bruised, skittish and treated as if they were worth nothing. The world had fallen from grace, that much was obvious, and he was sick of it.

Sick of all of it.

The way humans would come in the store and coo at him. They would giggle and flaunt, tease sometimes. It was petty. There would be men that mocked him, made stupid faces or rude gestures. There would be women that would tug at their boyfriend’s arms, pointing and snickering. Some would talk to him—which he was prompt to ignore their ridiculous attempts at conversation—and some would croon and click their tongues as if they didn’t know he could speak English.

It was obvious that a lot of humans overlooked the fact that borrowers were pretty much exactly like their own kind just smaller.

Over the course of the five months Logan had been there, he had had a few different “roommates”—as the store owner had said—and they had each been wildly different.

One had been a cheerful young woman, happily chatting his ear off about how she hoped to be adopted into a forever home. One had been a young man that had been so abused by his previous owners he had refused to share anything about himself or his past. Another, Logan had gotten to know was just a young kid, a boy that wanted to go back to his parents.

They had all been adopted and Logan was left by himself time and time again.

He wasn’t unused to this. He had tried to force himself to remain unattached from the others that were placed in with him because he knew it was only a matter of time before they would be found by a family and he would be left alone.

No one wanted him.

It was true that he was extremely vocal when it came to expressing his displeasure, which turned people away almost instantly. He would snap and snark.

He had been locked away for far too long for him to remain complacent.

He had been away from his family for far too long to remain silent and unheard.

Logan had thrown things, pushed the water dish out of the cage, tossed stuff through the spaces of the bars.

To the other borrowers that were ready to be submissive, he looked insane.

 _Desperate_.

The young woman he had been with a couple weeks ago had gasped when Logan had all but thrown himself against the bars of the containment. She had hopped up and taken a hold of his arm to stop him from doing it again, a surprised look on her features as she met his eyes.

 _“Goodness, young man!”_ She had said to him, checking the arm that had been rammed against the bar for bruises. _“By God, what do you think you’re doing? No one is going to want you if you keep acting like that!”_

 _“That’s the point,”_ Logan had pulled away from her gentle touch, looking irritated but not with her.

The woman had been startled with his reply. _“You don’t want to find a forever home?”_

He had paused at her innocent question.

She had been brainwashed by so many years of living in captivity. The girl had told him that she had been born into custody and had never had the taste of freedom.

Logan had lived his entire life in that freedom. How he had been able to live his life the way he wanted it to be lived.

He had had the chance to share in such meaningful moments with his husband. Quiet times where they sat together, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Or the first time he had gotten to hold his son in his arms. To cradle such a delicate life and feel like the luckiest man in the world.

Hell, he had had the chance to marry the man that he _loved_.

To see the way such a smile could brighten up his significant other’s face and send a burning warmth through his core.

He had gotten to feel the true freedom of making your own choices.

She hadn’t. So the girl didn’t understand how traumatizing this situation was for him.

He had sighed, showing his true exhaustion. _“I already have a forever home.”_

Which included only his husband and his son. Not some human that thought they could provide for him. Not some human that thought he was nothing more than a glorified toy to be put out on display for their friends and then natter to him as if he didn’t know better.

Not some human that thought they were bettering his life by spoiling him with treats and luxuries.

The only luxury he wanted was to go home.

Logan had never been proud to stoop to such childish measures, but sometimes that’s what it took.

The young man had been lectured, told off and scorned for his behaviour but he never changed his way because of it. It wasn’t something they were going to shame him for. They had even threatened to take him off display—which he had laughed at, as if that was even a threat.

To get off of the shelf and be “taken off of display” would be the exact thing he needed.

Logan knew what he wanted, he just had to find a way to get it.

He let his head rest back against the metal bars, the cool touch sinking into his skin and causing a light shudder to shoot up his spine. His hands moved up and down his legs, almost a nervous habit but mostly to keep his hands busy doing something. Sitting idly for too long made him antsy. There was always something to do, whether he was trying to think of a way out or trying to annoy the shopkeeper enough to let him go.

The fact that he had done pretty much everything he could today already was a bit upsetting. Waiting until dinner time would be another three hours and there had been a small cap put onto the water dish from his last stunt.

Logan removed his glasses and settled them off to the side, curling his knees up to this chest and rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.

There was just so much that he was missing out on. He had missed his wedding anniversary—that had been a rough night, knowing that Patton was alone in bed on one of the most important nights of their lives—and he was missing the chance to watch Virgil grow up.

The fact that he had been away from his family for nearly six months now was beginning to weigh in and it set a hard stone in his stomach. Six months and he hadn’t the foggiest idea of how his family was doing.

He didn’t even know if they were okay or not.

Frustration nipped at him and tears prickled the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He refused to let the humans see his weakness and find a way to use it against him.

His body was coiled tight as a spring, ready to snap.

Then, his shoulders relaxed and the tension melted away. His hands uncurled from their fists and he sighed. A deep breath of fresh air rushing into his lungs and allowing himself the chance to relax. To think rationally about the situation. There was nothing he could physically do to get out of this mess. It was all fairly startling, to be honest. The fact that reality can be such a punch in the stomach when it wasn’t wanted, but the reality check _was_ helpful in some ways.

His blurred vision looked up from the slate grey metal of the cage floor and up to the rest of the pet shop. A lot of it was meshed into random colours and shapes, but he could make out certain things. Such as the shopkeeper’s desk and their bright firetruck-red hair. The extremely colourful clothes they always seemed to wear.

He could see the vague shapes of other cages and animals moving inside them. Fluttering, walking, crawling or prowling.

Sighing again, Logan replaced his glasses and pushed them further up the bridge of his nose so they sat more comfortably. The world was brought back into focus but there was nothing there worth seeing.

The sound of the bell above the door jingling caught the attention of a lot of animals and he turned his head. Just enough to see the patron entering. A young man. It was hard to get a good look at him, to see what Logan would be dealing with _yet again_.

It was only a matter of time before he was going to be treated like a toy instead of a person again, so he instead focused his attention on cleaning the lenses of his glasses on the edges of his shirt. It was far from what he wanted to be cleaning the delicate pieces of glass with but it was the softest fabric he had on him.

The conversation that the patron was having with the shopkeeper was muted and somewhat muffled from where he was, but he could hear the gist of it.

They were talking about the most valuable thing in the shop.

The most exotic sort of pet that there was to date. Which, to the surprise of no one, was himself. There were other animals in here that—if Logan was not around—would certainly be the most prestigious things in the shop, but with the borrower being the pride and joy of this place, it was hard to get past that stigma. Humans wanted to own the most expensive things so they could show it off to their friends and family, to flaunt their wealth by showing it off in stupid ways.

His circular cleaning motions got a bit rougher and it took him a moment to realize that he really didn’t want to break his glasses with careless hand movements.

In a place like this, there wasn’t much he could do to express his anger. At least, not in healthy ways.

After he had substantially cleaned his glasses, he slid them back on for a second time in the past ten minutes.

“… I can show you the pride and joy of our collection,” the shopkeeper said, though their voice sounded tense and almost hesitant. “He’s truly a dear. You’ve just got to … get to know him a bit better.”

“… I’m sure he’s not that bad,” the patron’s voice sounded.

_Not that bad, huh?_

Taking that as almost a challenge, Logan pushed himself into a stand and took a quick look to where their positions were. The two humans were just in eyesight of the cage. Zoning in on the water basin again, he knew what he was going to do.

Cap or not, he could still do some damage.

He cleared the distance between the metal container and himself in seconds and was pushing against the edge of it again, causing the water to splash back and forth as he tried. He pushed harder, his feet sliding against the slick metal inside before he got a budge out of the dish. The water sloshed back against the side, successfully splashing him in the face. Irritated and wet, his pushing didn’t stop, even when he heard the shopkeeper gasp and then groan.

A second longer and Logan finally managed to dislodge the water dish from the place it was in and gave it one last forceful shove, pushing it completely out and having it clatter loudly against the ground.

Water spilt everywhere and the shopkeeper groaned louder.

Somewhat proud of his actions, Logan looked back between the shopkeeper—who he really should know the name of by now, but never cared to remember—and the patron who looked effectively shocked.

“This is exactly what I meant,” the young shopkeeper said, stooping down and grabbing the water dish off of the ground before knocking it against the metal bars as if to reprimand the borrower. “Logan, we’ve talked about this. Bad behaviour doesn’t get rewarded.”

Logan sneered. “I’ve displayed to you countless different accounts of my displeasure and yet everything remains unchanged.”

The shopkeeper rolled their eyes, setting the dish to the side. “Why don’t you play nice for once? This young man here might actually want to adopt you if you’re good.”

“Play _nice?”_ Logan echoed, as if the request baffled him. “Is that some sort of rhetorical question?”

“You sure do know some big words, little guy,” the patron bent down a bit more to get on Logan’s level. Brown eyes that rivaled his son’s peered back in towards him and the borrower almost felt winded.

And then he felt insulted.

While another borrower would have taken that as a compliment, Logan knew better. He knew what was implied by that sentence and he _did not like it._

“When one lives in a University, you would assume that one would not only learn how to read and contemplate and think beyond the words on the page, but to also understand the context of words that would be too big for otherwise uneducated people,” his eyes sharpened at that and he remained standing by the bars of the cage, “to assume that I do not understand the implications of your words is irrational and, how should I put this lightly? _Foolish_.”

While the patron looked surprised, confused and offended in his own way, the shopkeeper only shook their head.

“I apologize for him,” they said, rubbing a hand up and down their forehead, “but he’s the only one we still have. The others go quickly because—” the shopkeeper looked directly onto Logan while enunciating their next words, “—they do not talk back to the customer.”

Seething at that, Logan chuckled mirthlessly. To mock, he then enunciated his own sentence. “Get. _Fucked._ ”

The shopkeeper’s mouth dropped open, then stammered for a response to his words when the patron snorted.

When neither of them could find the correct words to respond to him with, Logan felt vindicated.

That was right. He was just as smart as anyone else, if not more brilliant.

With that out of the way, he turned on his heel and went back to sink against the opposing wall of the cage. He tucked his knees back up into his chest and settled his arms against the tops of them, his head placed on his forearms as he watched the two humans smugly, but silently.

“Well, I never!” The shopkeeper finally blabbered, that flabbergasted look never ceasing on their features. “I have had enough of your backtalk. I’m going to—”

“Do what? Take me off of display?” Logan quirked a brow looking unimpressed, the threat that had once meant something, meant absolutely nothing now.

The shopkeeper just seemed defeated after that. “If I knew he was going to be having one of _these_ days, I would have thrown a blanket over the cage,” they said quietly.

“If I knew a borrower would be this entertaining, I would have come down sooner,” the patron said, then startling both the shopkeeper and Logan out of their unintentional staring match.

“Excuse me?”

“What?”

The two of them spoke in almost perfect unison, causing Logan to harden his glare and the shopkeeper to seem even more surprised.

“I’ve already made my decision,” the patron continued on with his train of thought, brown eyes focusing back down onto the borrower sitting in the cage and looking him over. Suddenly, Logan felt incredibly self-conscious. “I’ll take him.”

The nausea that had hit him was unexpected and he felt lightheaded. The fact that he was going to be taken away from the only place he had known for these past six months was stomach churning.

If he were to be taken even further away from the University where his family lived, then there was no way for him to even think about getting back to them.

The fact that his awful behaviour hadn’t been enough to turn this guy away was upsetting and harsh, cold and biting.

It always worked.

It had _always_ worked. He would talk back and people would shut down and turn away from him, almost as if he wasn’t there.

This patron—he found it _amusing_.

And that was _infuriating_.

“ _What?”_ Logan finally voiced his thoughts. “You can’t just … just _decide_ like that! I’m a person too, I can’t just be sold like property! This is absolutely absurd.” Almost as if, for once, he couldn’t find the right words to express his distress, he became far more gesticulate. “I have thoughts and— and feelings and the fact that I’m just as human as you are only to be bought and sold is incredibly dehumanizing and—”

“Oh relax your pretty little head about it, Four-Eyes,” the patron spoke up, easily and effectively shutting Logan up—something that was rather difficult for anyone else to do, might he add—and stayed knelt down on the borrower’s level. “You’ll be fine. I’m not that bad a person, you’ll see.”

What in the holy hell did _that_ mean?

“Well,” the man clapped his hands against his thighs before standing up to his full height. For the first time in a very long time, Logan actually felt nervous with the human at his entire stature, towering over the cage and sealing his unspoken fate. “Where do I sign for this adoption?”

“O-oh right!” The shopkeeper startled out of their transfix and turned on their heel. “Come right this way and I’ll get the papers ready.”

While the shopkeeper took the patron away, Logan felt physically sick to his stomach. The way the human had looked so set in his ways, like he knew that he wanted this without a doubt. He felt horribly ill. He couldn’t prevent this fate from being sealed and he needed to find a way out.

 _Now_.

His eyes flickered over towards the hole where the water basin was on both sides, between the bars. It was a bit smaller than he was but that wasn’t going to stop him from trying in his desperation.

Logan’s eyes moved up to see the patron and the shopkeeper at the front of the store, sighing the papers and finishing up.

He needed to act as quick as possible.

Immediately Logan was up on his feet, going over the mess of blankets he had created as a somewhat resemblance of his bed back home and dug through until he found a small golden chain and slipped it over his head. It had been a gift from his husband and he only took it off—if ever—to protect it from the prying eyes of a human passerby in case they got a bit too curious.

Ignoring the fact that it may be chilly outside, he left his jacket behind and went to the hole in the bars dressed in his worn jeans and black long-sleeve shirt, which he had pushed up to his elbows to allow full use of his arms.

Peering out through the hole, he needed to wriggle his shoulders through first. The drop down to the floor was dizzying, but that meant nothing if he could actually get himself free.

This was not how it was going to end.

He was _not_ going to be some simple pet.

He was losing time and the chatter from both of the humans near the front were getting closer. Heart now hammering in his throat, he twisted just enough so that his hands were grasping the bars that were above him and was trying to pull his waist through the slot. If he could get out, he could find a way out of his place and he could find his way back to the University.

Logan just wanted to go _home_.

What was so wrong with that?

He had never yearned more than now to hear the onslaught of puns from Patton, to repeat himself when Virgil asked questions about the most obvious things. While those moments had been draining in the moment, that was all he wanted to hear now.

To feel Virgil tug at his shirt. To hear Patton’s laugh ring through the home like bells.

It was all he wanted.

Those tears of frustration were back, prickling the corners of his eyes as he tugged harder on the bars, trying to pull himself free. The strain in his forearms was burning, the tugging was pulling at muscles in his shoulders that he hadn’t used in what seemed like ages.

Borrowers were naturally stronger than the average human because they used their upper body and arms a lot more than people did. Climbing and swinging from things allowed them to use a strength that most humans didn’t know they had themselves because they never worked the muscles necessary. All for the fact that they didn’t need to, not to survive.

But Logan wasn’t moving, caught by the waist of his jeans, hooked on a rouge piece of bar that was sticking just a bit too far out, and no amount of pulling from himself was going to get him free of it.

His strength was failing him and he could feel it.

“Logan!” The shopkeeper’s voice came from behind him, sounding worried and surprised.

The borrower’s trials were all for naught. As soon as the shopkeeper had grabbed his torso between two fingers, the young man was tugged free with nothing at all all was held uncomfortably in a secure fist to ensure that he didn’t hurt himself further. 

“Dear God,” they said, breathless. “Whatever possessed you to pull a stunt like that? You could have gotten hurt!”

“Let me go!” He demanded, shoving at the finger that was pressing against his chest keeping him from getting to his freedom. “Just let me go back to my family, damn you!”

There was no point trying to hide the fact that they existed if humans already knew that borrowers as a whole existed completely. He didn’t care anymore. He just wanted his husband. He wanted the comforting touches they shared during the early morning or late into the evening, the way that if he was having a rough night, Patton would know what to do without so much as saying a word. He wanted his son’s cold hands pressing against his face in the morning, trying to wake him up.

He wanted so much that he would never get to have again.

The saying was true: _you never knew what you had until it was gone._

“God, you just keep going on and on about your family,” the shopkeeper rolled their eyes before brushing past the concerned patron and grabbing a small carrying compartment. They pried it open before letting the borrower drop into it. Quickly folding it back up, they held the box out to the patron. “There. I do warn you, though. He’s got a bit of a temper.”

“So I’ve noticed,” the patron chuckled, though it almost seemed uncomfortable.

Feeling helpless, Logan tried to gain his balance as best as he could as the box shifted and moved from person to person and he threw his shoulder against the side of it. He bounced backwards and stumbled to his knees, but he would not be bested by this cardboard.

The box began to move in a swaying gait and there were farewells being passed overhead. The sound of a bell jingling high above his head made his stomach sick.

So, he did whatever he could.

He tried pushing and shoving, kicking, shouting profanities and hurling insults. As much as he hated it, Logan had even been reduced to _begging_ —pleading for a release that he would never get.

His only answers had been a car door opening and closing before the engine started with a roaring purr.

Feeling powerless and overwhelmed with his reality, Logan sunk to his knees finally, hands dragging down against the inside of the box and stayed in a slumped position. His shoulders rose and fell with his panting breaths, listening to the world as it continued on without so much as a qualm about his well-being.

_Desperation._

Desperation clawed itself into his chest. It was difficult to focus, but he knew he couldn’t do anything.

It was over.

It really was _over_.

The resolute silence from outside of the carrying box, save for the music that seemed to be put to a lower volume, was irritating and frightening and worrying all at the same time. All of his advances had been met with nothing, no words, no snarking back. Nothing. And he didn’t know how to feel about that. If he should be feeling ignored or discarded.

This sharp feeling was settling deep into his chest and he could hardly focus on anything else.

—————

_“Gotcha.”_

_No word had ever packed as much of a punch as that did._

_Terror flushed straight through his body, icy cold and startling. Adrenaline seized his wrists like electricity, shooting hot through his veins like blood and his breath shortened. He didn’t have much time, not enough to get them all out of here, but just enough to save the lives of those who meant the most to him._

_There was a little distance between the human’s shining green eyes and the small borrower family, but the space would have to be enough._

_Patton’s nails tightened on his arm with his nerves and Logan’s mind was racing with different options._

_This had all gone far too wrong far too quickly._

_The janitor was usually the last to leave the building, so when they had gone out to find things to aid in their survival, the last thing he had assumed was that the janitor was still there finishing up his rounds._

_He could have sworn that the janitor had left by that time. They had even taken extra precaution because it was one of the few times him and Patton had allowed Virgil to come with them even though it was dangerous—especially at such a young age._

_The other thing Logan hadn’t brought into the equation was how the human seemed to be so dead set on getting his hands on them._

_There had been so many traps that should have been obvious. They were obvious enough for Logan to label them as dangerous but never had he once thought that it would have led to a power-hungry human searching for them._

_There had been no clues that his family had even been there._

_Unless the janitor was uncanny at picking out the tiniest details or there was another family that wasn’t as good at staying unnoticed or taking the things that they only needed and not what they wanted._

_Logan should have known better._

_He should have seen the signs and had yet been so desperate to find a way to feed his family that he had ignored rational thought and taken a risk far too great._

_It should have been so painstakingly obvious and he had ignored it all._ _  
_

_This was all his fault._

_And now they all had to pay the price._

_“Papa?” The young voice brought his attention downwards, the wide brown eyes of his son looking back up to him, tearful and frightened._

_The sight winded him._

_“Logan, what do we do?”_

_There was something they could do. There had to be._

_Logan didn’t know what yet, but he was going to figure something out._

_The bookshelf shuddered in its entirety as the janitor dropped to his knees and began to shove at it. He winced as Patton’s hands tightened nearly to the point of being able to draw blood and Virgil’s hold shifted to grasp onto Logan’s shirt as if it was going to be their saving grace._

_While panic was beginning to set in, he couldn’t let himself go. Not when there was so much depending on him._

_His hand went to sit firmly on Virgil’s shoulder, reassuring the kid that as long as Logan was there, he was going to be fine. Maybe it wasn’t exactly how the situation would end up, but that’s how it was for the moment at hand._

_His eyes scoured the underside of the bookshelf. Then they went to the floor, looking for something that they could pull up._

_Honing in on a loose tile; Logan’s mind was made up._

_Quickly, he wrapped his arms around Virgil’s waist causing the kid to squawk in surprise only to be hefted up and settled on Logan’s waist. Virgil’s hands moved to twist into the back of Logan’s shirt. He then grabbed Patton by the hand with his free one before tugging the other male behind him._

_While the janitor was busy pushing at the bookshelf—seemingly trying his damnedest to get at them—he was unknowingly giving them time to get away._

_He released his husband’s hand before pushing Virgil into the other’s arms. Logan dropped to his knees and began to tug at one of the loosest tiles in the floor with a desperation he’d never used before._

_With a desperation he had never had a_ reason _to use before._

_Now, he was doing something that was going to save the two people that mattered the most to him. He would be doing something good._

_“Logan, what—”_

_“Shh!” He hissed back, sharp eyes turning back up to look at them both, two pairs of startled chocolate brown eyes looking back at him._

_He pushed the tile out of the way and peered into a hole that was about six inches deep. If one were to get down on their knees, it would be revealed that there was a tunnel that led underneath the school grounds and eventually out into the field closest to the road._

_“This is the only way down,” his voice was sharp, but there was a deeper meaning behind it. A quiet longing. “This path should take you out of the school and close to the parking lot.”_

_It took half a second before Patton knew exactly what Logan was doing. “Don’t tell me you’re not coming.”_

_Virgil clicked in at that, wide eyes focusing on his two fathers, the tension was easy to feel between the two adults._

_The look Patton got in response was enough of an answer. “Logan—”_

_“I need you both to get to safety,” he promised, meeting his significant other’s watering eyes. “If I lose either of you, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”_

_“I can’t lose_ you, _” Patton shot back, adjusting the child on his waist._

_Logan shook his head, the smile that crossed his features was not warm. It was sad and hurting. “This is the only way. I’ll lead the janitor away from here and it should give you and Virgil enough of a chance to escape.”_

_“I can’t leave you here,” Patton’s voice got more determined, his hold on Logan’s arm tightened. “I can’t—”_

_“It’s going to be okay.” The promise was airy. It was quiet, a whisper of a future that may never come to pass. “It’s all going to be okay.”_

_The bookshelf shuddered again and its four legs squealed over the tiles, a harsh sound that made reality set back in instantly. Logan twisted to look over his shoulder, the green eyes of the human janitor sharpened and he felt ill all over again._

_“Go,” Logan quickly urged them, “go, go! There’s not much time left.”_

_“Papa?”_

_Such a soft voice. The wide brown eyes were brimming with tears and Logan stepped forwards, cupping the young boy’s face in between his hands. A lingering touch that would say more than words ever could._

_“I’ll find you both again, I promise.”_

_“Logan, please, this isn’t how it has to be,” Patton tried to urge again, bringing Logan’s eyes back to his own, even as Virgil held onto his father’s hand in a last ditch attempt to keep him from leaving. “You don’t have to do this.”_

_He did._

_This was the only way he could protect his family undoubtedly._

_“Yes,” he nodded his head gently, leaning in so close that the other’s breath mingled with his own. “Yes. I do.”_

_An influx of emotions flooded forwards but he refused to let it show, not when he needed to distract the human. Seeing such emotional weakness would only make it worse and that wasn’t what he needed right now._

_As soon as Logan had pulled Patton in for a final goodbye kiss—longing and broken, full of so much agony and pain—the light broke their cover and he pulled away immediately._

_Logan was quick to usher the two down into the small hidden pathway, their only attempt at getting out of this unhurt._

_If he could protect them, he would have done something right in his life for once._

_“Go!” He urged, nodding towards the tunnel in the flooring. “The further you get in the least likely he’s going to be able to grab you.”_

_Patton set Virgil down onto the ground, the hole was too deep for the kid to be able to get himself out of, but that didn’t stop him from pulling at his shirt and trying to reach Logan._

_As much as he hated this, Patton knew it was for the best._

_But good Christ, he didn’t want to let Logan go._

_“I love you, Lo,” he grabbed his husband by the hands, making sure he was looking at him as he said those words, “please, by God, be safe.”_

_The words had formed on his mouth, but Logan had no time to say them back. He tugged his hands free, his heart feeling torn and he shoved the tile back over the hole and sealed them inside—away from danger._

_Before he even had a chance to move, there was a shadow of a hand looming over him and a tight warmth encased the borrower completely. With a sickeningly quick motion, and vertigo right on the heels, he was yanked out into the light of the University and held in front of piercing, gleeful green eyes._

_A smirk twisted onto the human’s lips._

_“Boy,” the janitor grinned, causing Logan to flinch at the volume of the voice, “what a pretty price a lot of people would pay to get their hands on something like you.”_

—————

Logan had been so lost in thought that he had missed when the car had shut off or even when the box had been back on the move. He was knocked over to the side with the suddenness of the movements, but there was nothing to be done about it, he guessed. He could bellyache as much as he wanted to but nothing would change about his situation.

He had been sold like a piece of property and he couldn’t say that he hadn’t.

Reality was the one thing he couldn’t ignore.

Logan could ignore a lot of things; including, but not limited to, his feelings, the way others treated him or the way he treated others, meaningless words and interactions and so forth.

But the crushing weight of knowing that he may never see Patton or Virgil again was something that was ever present, a knowledge that he couldn’t push away no matter how hard he tried or how unpleasant it made him feel.

Keys jangled against each other and a door was opened and closed. Soon, the swaying gait was replaced with the steadiness of something more solid.

 _A table_ , his mind loftily supplied to him. _You’re going to be examined more thoroughly._

“Did it work?” A voice he hadn’t heard before spoke up and Logan was left to assume that it was another person that was going to gawk at him. To agree that this was the best procedure, to keep someone captive against their very will.

One thing that Logan failed to register was how much smaller this one voice sounded, how it would be easily masked if the human he had taken were to speak up.

“Were you able to do it?”

“Yeah,” the human agreed, a chair scraping against the flooring made Logan wince a little bit. “I still believe that it was better for you to stay here. The shopkeeper wasn’t exactly charming.”

“Now, now, Roman,” the second voice piped up, “I’m sure they were fine. You never know what they could be going through.”

“Alright, alright,” the human—Roman—replied.

The smaller voice paused for a moment. “Is he alright?”

“He’s fine,” the human promised the second voice, a quiet reassurance. His voice then softened a tad more. “But you’re going to have to be gentler with this one. He seems to be … _easily provoked_.”

 _Easily provoked_ , Logan sneered inwardly, _what did he know about being easily provoked_.

The second voice laughed a bit, gentler. “It’ll be fine. This isn’t this first time, you know.”

“Yes, I know.”

The box suddenly began to tilt and the second voice hissed quickly.

“Easy!” He said, “warn him, Roman, you know how important it is for him to feel safe and listened to.”

Roman sucked in a sharp breath. “Right. Sorry. Sort of slipped my mind,” he mused quietly, then raised his tone a bit more to show Logan that he was indeed talking to him. “Hey, I’m gonna tilt the box to make this interaction easier, alright?”

Logan only gave an annoyed huff in response, as he slid on the still, slightly tilled angles of the box.

It seemed his movements had been enough of a go-ahead and the box finished turning, before finally settling and staying situated where it was.

The two flaps on the top of the container—the front of it now as it was sitting sideways—began to crack open and light flooded into the darkness, causing the borrower to wince and lift a hand to block his eyes. As soon as he was used to it, he removed his hand and let it sit down on the cardboard.

When he looked up, Logan felt his stomach drop.

He was not looking back into a pair of large brown eyes like he thought he would, but was instead focused on the form of another borrower. He almost didn’t know what to do or what to say, his mind was racing a mile a minute and when the other took a step forwards, Logan matched it with a step backwards.

The other paused, seeing the _flight_ taking over Logan’s features. The _fight_ had been washed behind for a moment.

“Hey, it’s okay,” the other borrower promised, lowering himself into a crouch to stay on the same level as him. “I know this probably seems really weird, huh?”

Nodding wordlessly, Logan’s eyes searched over the newcomer’s form. “You could say that.”

_Weird seems like an understatement._

This wasn’t exactly how he thought this entire thing would be going. Logan had been so confident that this was the end of the line, but here he was, facing another of his kind who seemed to be relatively unhurt. At least, from what he could see. The silhouette of the other could be hiding bruises that would remain unseen until he got closer.

“What’s the meaning of this?” He finally spoke up, unable to handle the silence any longer. “What on earth are you waiting for?”

“For you to be a little less defensive, first of all,” he heard Roman’s voice rumble from above, but the human remained out of his sight-line.

The other borrower raised a hand and quickly managed to silence the larger being and Logan was floored yet again. The human was _listening_ to someone his size? What sort of hell was this? What had he been brought into?

“This probably seems really untrustworthy,” the other said again, getting a nod in response from the bespectacled male. “A borrower and a human? Hard to believe, I get that. But you’re going to have to trust me for a little bit, at least long enough to help you get home.”

Logan almost stammered for words at that. “You’re— you’re not being kept here against your will?”

“Heaven’s no,” the other replied, a grin crossing over his features. He adjusted himself so he was sitting comfortably and allowing Logan to relax as well. Creating a more inviting environment would make it easier for conversation to ensue. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of humans in all of their terrifying glory, so he knew how to handle the other’s frightened behaviour. “I’ve been allowed to come and go as I please, but Roman has been a rather gracious host.”

“I’d say so,” the human countered, but in more a playful tone than anything else. “I get why you’re so defensive though.”

“Oh you do?” Logan raised his voice a bit more, prompting the other to speak again.

“You’ve been stuck in a cage for God knows how long, no wonder you’re sick of human interaction,” Roman continued. “Look, you can believe me or not, but the both of us really do want to help you get home.”

“So, maybe we can start this by you coming out,” the other borrower pushed himself into a stand, catching Logan’s attention once more. “No one is going to touch you or grab you without your permission, I promise.”

He watched as the other even backed up a couple paces, looking earnest but genuine and as much as Logan hated this situation, he hated the box _more_.

With a huff, he drew himself into a stand as well and slowly made his way towards the opening the box. It wasn’t comfortable, not really, knowing that there was someone constantly watching him, but there wasn’t much he could do to change that. So, he pressed on.

While it did take an extra moment to steel his nerves, it wasn’t long before Logan ducked under the open flap of the confinement and onto the smooth texture of the kitchen table.

It had been a while since he hadn’t been surrounded by something. Taking in another breath, it almost felt better in a way. It was like a fresh moment of finally being in the most freedom he had had since he was caught. While the freedom was emotional, he wasn’t going to allow himself to revel in it. Not until he was with the people that mattered the most.

The other borrower grinned a bit more, a softer light in his eyes and Logan felt oddly reassured. “See? It’s not so bad out here, is it?”

“I suppose not,” he adjusted his glasses before crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes flickered between both the human and the other before shifting anxiously back and forth between his feet. “I must admit, while I had my suspicions, you seem fairly … _genuine_.” Roman seemed to nearly preen at the information. “But that does not excuse the fact that I was still bought.”

“It wasn’t as if I was doing it to keep you,” the explanation came hastily afterwards, “all of it was just an act to get you out of there.”

“And while I appreciate that, a little forewarning would have been appreciated so I didn’t need to be fearing for my life on the drive here.”

Roman frowned lightly. “You were fearing for your life?”

Once he heard it coming from another source, Logan dropped his gaze, nearly feeling unsure at this point. It sounded fairly pathetic now that it had been said aloud.

“Well, what did you really expect of me? I’ve been treated like nothing more than a toy by countless other humans and I have come to lose my faith in humanity altogether.” He took a breath to steady himself. “I have been away from my family for nearly six months at this point and I have no inkling whatsoever to how they may be currently faring.”

The surprised expressions on the others features did nothing to phase him. Nor was he going to console them.

“Though, it seems I may have overestimated and been wrong by the accusation—only because you and your … _friend_ ,” he motioned to the borrower that stood a few paces away from him—although, saying ‘friend’ when referring to another borrower and a human was odd and somewhat grounding in a way—and he kept his hands tucked into a folded position, “have been pleasant enough to offer your assistance. Not many people would do that and that— does mean a lot.”

“Thank you,” the human said after a moment, “I think.”

“Yes, it was a compliment,” Logan agreed after a hesitant moment, because complimenting one of the members of the human race just felt wrong to him. It felt as if there should be no congratulating of the kind. He had only gone through Hell and back and here he was, standing in the presence of a human and his borrower companion.

It was an odd scenario, he could say that, but to know that this was possibly his chance to get home was what was giving him peace.

Logan cleared his throat after a moment, gaining both Roman’s and the other borrower’s attention again. “I must ask, how long will I be in your company? Even if you do plan to assist me in getting home.”

The two others shared a look, almost unsure of how to proceed from here. Looks like the plan hadn’t really been thought all the way out and Logan’s safety may have been the main priority.

He was … mildly flattered, to say the least.

“We were sort of leaving that up to you,” the borrower said, clasping his hands together, almost wringing them. “We’d be more than willing to host you. Help you replenish your strength and offer some rest and time to recuperate.”

They were offering to give him a safe—so far—place to stay the night? It was almost unheard of. The fact that they were being so kind as to allow him to stay without really knowing anything about.

For all they knew, Logan could be lying about having a family waiting for him.

While that wouldn’t really do him any good except get him unwanted pity, he hadn’t exactly given them a reason to doubt him.

Nor a reason to trust him, either.

If he were truly being honest with himself, he was exhausted. So much had been happening in these past months and Logan had hardly had a moment of peace to himself. There was always something happening, something to think about, someone to snark back at. Something to push or throw. Logan had spent a lot of his downtime during the night planning. He slept, yes, but there was always something greater to be doing.

Always something _more_.

Always trying to find a way to escape without creating too much of a stir.

He was exhausted from the long nights staying up, sleepless while trying to find another way to annoy the shopkeeper into letting him go. Into finally getting so fed up with his childish shenanigans that they would have opened the cage and let him find his way back home.

Logan had never been so lucky.

Not until now.

To find now that he could have peace of mind and possibly get some sleep that would replenish what little strength he had left. It was necessary. The longer he went without sleep, the worse off he would be, Logan had learned this from many all-nighters. Which never stopped him from pulling them. Never once did he stop. Not when he needed to do something.

While the other borrowers that had been in the cage with him had always been so willing to go to sleep at decent times of the night, Logan stayed up.

The young woman that had been with him a couple weeks prior had tried to sooth him. To get him to go and lay down with her, if not for the coupling, then for her own comfort. She had been uncomfortably touchy, especially when she was trying to get something from him.

He would be sitting by himself late into the night and suddenly her hands would appear on his shoulders—which had successfully startled him a few times—and she would let her hands rub into them, trying to ease the tension that he had built up over the months.

Logan had come to learn that women preferred when a male was around, as that stronger presence would make them feel safer.

While he had understood initially that having another person near you could comfort you in times of need, there were only two people that were able to comfort him. The young woman, as kind and naive as she had been, was not one of them.

“A night here would be appreciated,” Logan finally spoke his mind, shaking the unwanted thoughts away, his eyes glanced between Roman and the other borrower again, his weariness finally showing through the colder facade. The action was trusting and such an action truly revealed what Logan was underneath the indifferent mask; a young man that was tired of the world’s constant demeaning. A man that wanted nothing more than to get back home. “If it really isn’t too much trouble.”

“Nonsense,” Roman’s voice was softer than it had been, “it would be no trouble at all. I can get some soft cloths together for you.” As the human moved to stand, he seemed to pause for a moment and reconsidered, offering a small—almost reassuring—grin over his shoulder. “I know this isn’t really ideal, for anyone really, but thank you for at least a little bit of your trust.”

And just like that, Roman left without giving Logan a chance to even register what he had said.

So, the bespectacled borrower stood there a moment looking like he wanted to formulate a coherent sentence. When that failed, he instead turned his attention to the other borrower, who had his hands tucked into his pockets comfortably.

“I know he can be a bit … much but he means well,” the other spoke up, a soft look on his features. Understanding and trusting. “His heart really is in the right place.”

“How did you know I was in that pet shop?”

While the question may have seemed a bit brash and out of the blue, Logan couldn’t say that he wasn’t interested.

“I wasn’t there,” he said, offering a small shrug of his shoulders, taking the sudden question in stride. “I remember Roman coming back from classes one afternoon ranting about someone like me. He had been talking so fast that I hardly had time to really understand what he was talking about. For a bit there, I thought he had _found_ someone.” He grinned, laughing a bit as if lost in a memory unseen to Logan. “Went on like that for a good ten minutes before I was able to manage to say anything to him. It didn’t take long before he said that there was another like me, except one that had been caught. Roman said he had overheard some other students talking about you in the hallways.”

The thought made Logan shudder, in all honesty.

The other continued after a brief pause. “So, he went to the pet shop after to see if the rumours were true and lo and behold, there you were with another.”

“Arthur,” Logan stated after a moment. “His name was Arthur. He was bought a week ago.”

“I’m sorry,” the other stated, a genuine look crossed his features. “That you had to go through all of that at all.”

Logan shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. “It really wasn’t that bad.” Except it was. Sometimes worse than one could imagine. To be mocked daily for being caught or for how small he was. All those rude remarks came flooding back and he winced as if he had been physically hit.

He tried so hard not to let it impact him, but sometimes, in the dead of the night, the harsh words were all he could hear.

_“Can’t believe they actually caught one. Look at it. Little pest.”_

_“They should just put the poor thing out of its misery. Not like it has a life to live anyways.”_

_“Borrowers don’t have families. It’s just an excuse to make people pity them.”_

_“Vermin like you should be exterminated.”_

_“I bet there’s a cat out there that’s already gotten to your family. You’re better off here anyways, normal people are probably much better company.”_

Logan knew not to take any of those words seriously, but it was sickening to know that there were humans out in the world that would kill a borrower if they were to get the opportunity.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly, Logan gasped and jolted away from him. Blinded by the fear of his memories.

His gaze drifted downwards to his forearms and he could see bruises littering them. The pain in his left shoulder when he had been handled so carelessly by children and adults alike. The tight grasp of a child who didn’t understand how fragile his body was compared to the strength in just their hands. Or the knowledge of the power that the adults had over him, that had used that over him.

 _“I finally gotcha, ya little runt,”_ the janitor’s voice echoed loudly in his head like bells, a laugh that could have shattered his eardrums followed. _“Took me long enough, huh? You were a tough catch. Shame I wasn’t able to get the other two, but I s’pose you’ll have to do.”_

Logan could hear the voice, shaking him to his core. The way it rumbled through his bones.

_“Though, I s’pose just one of you will still be a steep price for any buyer.”_

When he looked up, Logan wasn’t in a new place anymore. He was back in that damned cage, green eyes staring back at him looking smug and gleeful. He felt his heart sink.

His hands were shaking, he realized belatedly.

No, he was shaking all over, it wasn’t just his hands.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re alright,” the gentle voice of the other borrower broke through into Logan’s conscious and he looked up to him, but he wasn’t really looking to see him. “You’re not there anymore. You’re with me. You’re safe.”

It took a moment of fighting with his consciousness to really register that he was safe. He was safe for the first time in a very long time.

It still didn’t feel real.

When the other borrower reached out this time, Logan didn’t flinch away and was instead slightly more relaxed when he felt the warm touch of another person his size. After being around humans for so long, being with one of his own kind was refreshing.

When he looked back down to his arms, the bruises were non-existent. His skin was clean, save for the scars that lined his forearms from his first failed escape attempt.

His hand brushed down the length of his forearm, feeling the scarred skin. It was almost a reassurance. There was no pain when he touched it, so the bruises must have been some sort of hallucination. Maybe he was overtired. He was probably overtired.

Logan then shook himself, before clearing his throat. “I—I apologize for that, I seemed to have had a relapse.”

“That’s okay,” came the gentle response, “you’re allowed to feel, you know.”

No, he didn’t know.

He hadn’t known that freedom in the past six months. If Logan had shown any emotion whatsoever to a human captor, he would have been punished for it. He had only ever safe comfortable showing emotion around Patton and Virgil because no matter what, they were always there. Patton with a caring touch and Virgil, while so young, trying to assist in anyway he could.

The other sighed quietly. “I think you staying the night is a good idea,” he said after a moment, taking a step back from Logan, not wanting to overwhelm him with too much attention at once. “It would probably help you really understand that you’re going home.”

Home.

 _Home_.

Logan finally got to go _home_.

It was then that everything he refused to feel flooded forwards and water immediately brimmed his eyes. He laughed hoarsely—a helpless noise between joy and overwhelming emotion—after a moment, pulling his glasses off to rub at the wetness. He refused to let any tears fall, but the true relief was there. It was no longer a dream to see them again, Logan had that chance. The chance that he had been waiting _six months_ for.

Almost as if the other could feel it, he stepped closer again but this time was a bit more startled to find Logan reaching out and grabbing onto him. Physical displays of gratitude were not something he was used to, but he needed it. He needed that sort of reassuring touch.

“You’re alright,” he soothed him, just as Logan’s hands tightened in the back of his shirt, his shaking began to increase as everything really did register with him. It was hard to believe, in all honesty.

Six months of suffering were over because of a human that actually seemed to genuinely care. A human that had his heart in the right place, even if his motives were a bit odd.

“Breathe with me, okay?” He started off, sinking to his knees as Logan slowly began to drag him down. “In for four seconds, hold for seven and out for eight. I can count with you, if you’d like.”

It took a moment, but Logan was nodding. His mind was in a frenzy and counting himself was not going to help.

_“Stop throwing things, Logan, for God’s sake. You’re only going to drive more people away like that.”_

_“You tell me that as if I don’t know it,”_ he had snarled back, a sharp glare over his shoulder. _“I want to go home.”_

The shopkeeper sighed, shaking their head. _“This is your home. At least, until someone comes along and actually wants you.”_

 _“No. This hellhole is not my home.”_ He had paused at that, sharing a look with the shopkeeper standing above him, watching him between the bars of the metal cage, looking weary. _“I want out of this cage. I want out of this pet shop. I want to be treated like a fucking_ person _. Do you understand me?”_

 _“You’re not a person, Logan,”_ they had said back. The sentence had winded him as if he hadn’t expected those words to come out. It had been a sharp and cold reminder of his future if he didn’t find a way out of this mess. _“You’re a borrower and everyone knows that a borrower is not a person.”_

“You’re safe,” the other’s voice shattered the memory had that demanded all of his attention.

He was far too tired for this.

Logan kept listening to the steady counting, the reassuring words. It almost made him feel better, hearing such a steady rhythm. Something he could predict and follow, without a surprise in the mix. The exhaustion began to settle in like a heavy blanket. It weighed over his shoulders, dragging him further down and he allowed himself to be held. At the moment, he could have cared less that he was with a stranger, he just needed to sleep.

After a few more rounds of slow and soft counting, Logan was drifting off—without meaning to, of course—and the young man slumped fully into the other borrower’s arms, who was then shifting his weight to hold Logan a bit more steadily, without the worry of him slipping and waking up again.

He didn’t deserve that. If this was the most sleep he had gotten in a while, there was no reason to wake him up. Certainly not by accident. It wouldn’t be fair to him.

It was a sight that hurt his heart, he admitted. Seeing the male so emotionally and physically exhausted. Roman had made the right call—of course he had—to get Logan out of that place, especially if this was the aftermath. How long had he been separated from his family? It probably would have been a question to ask before he had passed out, but stuff like that could wait until the morning.

As soon as he was sure Logan was out like a light, Thomas was able to stop his counting. But now he found himself in a bit more of a position.

This wasn’t the first time he had had someone fall asleep on him, but the other times he had been somewhat alright with disturbing them, even if for a little bit. Logan was a different case altogether. It didn’t exactly seem as though he slept, at least, not a lot.

Possibly not _enough_.

It was easy to believe that being stuck in a pet shop for God knows how long would leave someone sleep deprived and mentally scarred.

A couple minute later and there were the telltale sounds of a human returning to the room. Though, before Thomas could even say a warning, Roman was already speaking.

“Alright, so I found some—”

“Shh!” The hush was certainly a bit sharper than he meant it to be, but it was enough to gain Roman’s attention. Without saying anything, he was then motioning to Logan, who was now fast asleep against him.

It took a moment before he realized what was wrong before it hit him. ‘ _Oh,’_ he quietly mouthed back to the borrower who had apparently been dubbed a safe enough person to fall asleep on, stranger or not.

It wasn’t hard to get to the table without making a noise, but there was the worry of accidentally nudging it and causing the table to shake.

‘ _Tired?’_

Thomas nodded. This was probably the most exhausted he had seen someone his own size before. The way Logan had just seemed so ready to slump over and let his exhaustion take control. It was discouraging.

Whatever he had been through had taken more of a toll on him than they had been led to believe at first. Especially with how distant Logan seemed to be—for the most part, at least.

It _also_ proved to him how much better a person Roman was compared to a lot of other people.

The others he had manage to help since the two of them had started working in tandem had been weary all the same, but not to the point where they gave up on consciousness. Like this, there was only so much they could do to help him, not that this was changing any of that, of course not.

But the question still stood; how much time did Logan need to recover from this?

—————

“Is there a certain place you want to be put down?” Roman’s voice shook Logan to his core, even though the rumbling was substantially quieter than normal.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that he was currently tucked into a pocket on the human’s chest. Which was still fairly close to large vocal cords and a powerful set of lungs that were possibly bigger than Logan was tall. To speak at full voice with the borrower in such a close proximity could damage his hearing.

For the care, Logan was grateful.

It seemed that Roman had had plenty of practice with Thomas, especially if the two of them had been working together for as long as they said they had been.

Speaking of said other borrower, Logan’s eyes drifted to him. He was sitting comfortable in the crook of the pocket, using it almost like a hammock. He had been rather quiet for the trip, only making small conversation.

Ever since they had entered the University, Logan had been up, crouched slightly as he clung onto the thick fabric of the pocket to keep him upright. A nervous energy that seemed to fill the small space. While admitting to getting anxious wasn’t something that he did, or rarely ever felt, this was inducing such worry.

What if Patton had taken Virgil had moved? Logan wouldn’t blame him for the choice, after all, it would have been the most logical response to almost being caught. Though, it would be unfortunate as then he would have to try and figure out the second most logical response to moving and where the possibilities would lay.

At this point, Logan was banking on the _hope_ that they were still within the building’s walls.

“Inside the History classroom,” he called up. “There will be a bookshelf inside there that I can use to get home.”

Of course, there were many different passages in the school that would allow him to get home, but the one in the classroom was the closest to his home and it would take far less time to get there. He wouldn’t have to navigate through useless passages and get turned around.

“Are you alright?”

Logan nearly startled when Thomas finally spoke up, brown eyes searching his form for an answer that he wouldn’t find.

It took a moment to collect this thoughts, but Logan was nodding before he knew what he was going to say. “I feel fine, if anything, I feel rather reassured.”

Thomas frowned. “Your body language is telling me otherwise.”

Tense shoulders released almost as soon as they had been pointed out. Okay, so maybe he was a bit more worried than he was letting on. It was better to keep that sort of stuff out of the limelight, though—Patton would say otherwise, but he wasn’t here so Logan could do what he wanted with his emotions.

Whether it was sweeping them under the rug or, regretfully, feeling them at full capacity.

“I may be a bit … nervous,” he could admit to that at least.

“How come?”

 _A few different reasons, if you must know. The fact that I don’t even know if they’re still here, never mind the fact of where they_ would _be if they’re not here. Or maybe the fact that I haven’t ever spent this much time away from my son and husband and it has been driving my feelings insane for the past six months I’ve been away from them. Or perhaps I’m just feeling this way because I don’t know how Patton or Virgil will react to seeing me again after everything that happened._

“I don’t know.”

While he knew Thomas could see right through that statement, he wasn’t being pressured into answering anything further.

Though, while Logan’s attention shifted to the sound of a door opening and closing, he heard Thomas move behind him. “You know, I bet they’ve missed you just as much as you’ve missed them.” The sentence made him pause for a moment, turning to peer over his shoulder, but not looking completely. “You don’t have any reason to be worried, but it’s okay to feel that way.”

Before Logan could even say anything back to that, his voice was cut off as the deeper one spoke instead. “The History classroom with the bookshelf,” Roman said above them, humour in is tone, “guess this is your stop then.”

That nervous energy returned almost instantly, but with a renewed excitement Logan reached up to the lip of the pocket and heaved himself up, enough so that he could see the bookshelf in question.

There were marks on the floor from where the paint had been scraped up due to the janitor’s desperate attempts to get them.

Instead of letting the bitter memory eat away at him, he shook it off and nodded his head. “Some assistance down would be appreciated it.”

The young man could feel his heart in his throat, he could hear the blood in his ears, but there was something deeper. A primal urge to get out of there and to find the ones he loved. To find them and embrace them and never let them go. He had never been the sappy one of the three, showing emotion was difficult, but now. Now, Logan was going to do anything he could to show his husband and his son just how much they meant to him.

The hand that raised in front of him hardly meant anything at this point and he pulled himself up without a problem. While being held so willingly by a human still caught him off guard, he had more pressing matters.

He had something that meant more to him than life itself waiting for him.

The vertigo of being moved came and went and just as soon as the ground was in sight, Logan dropped the inch down. He couldn’t handle it anymore, he needed to find them.

It had been so long.

It had been _too_ long.

Though, as soon as he had let himself onto the ground—not before earning a surprised noise from Roman, who hadn’t expected Logan to jump off when he did—his eyes searched the underside of the shelf. Even further back into the hole in the wall, where he could have sworn he had seen a flash of movement.

Roman cleared his throat softly behind him. “Would you prefer we stayed or left?”

In any other case, Logan would have demanded that they leave. Roman the most since he was human, but when he saw more movement inside the hole, he leaned a bit more forwards, curious and slightly hopeful that it was who he thought it was.

Logan raised a hand for a moment. “You’re free to do what you wish.” It was the most honest response that he could utter at that point.

If he were to have turned around, he would have seen how Roman’s nose had scrunched as in silently asking _‘how about an actual answer, you pocket nerd.’_

The quiet of the empty classroom held. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop from the other side of the room, but after a moment, a noise jumped in Logan’s chest when he saw two curious brown eyes peering back out from behind the crack in the wall.

Shimmering brown eyes that he would never be able to wipe from his memory, no matter what had happened.

He felt the emotions growing heavy in his chest, unshed tears beginning to fill his eyes as the boy peered out a bit further. Something in that unsure gaze solidified behind the eyes.

“… Papa?” The word was like a whisper on the air, a thoughtful noise that may have been carried by the wind if one hadn’t been listening close enough.

“Yeah,” Logan’s voice broke on the word.

Realization finally flickered in the brown eyes and before either of them knew, the little boy had pushed himself away from the strong arms of his father keeping him in place and was bolting out into the open. He had stumbled a little bit after dropping the two inches down onto the ground, but after that he had regained control and broke into a sprint.

Logan couldn’t stand in one spot anymore and instead met Virgil halfway, sweeping the boy into his arms as he held onto him. Hands digging into the slightly over-sized sweater their son wore and just held onto him.

A sob hitched in his shoulder and Logan’s free hand went to cradle the back of Virgil’s head, keeping it gently pressed into the space between his shoulder and neck. But he held onto the boy like a lifeline, as if he had never had anything else to hold him down. It took only a moment before was sinking to his knees as Virgil’s fingers dug into the back of his shirt, clenched into the fabric.

It was the desperate embrace of a parent and child that had been separated for far too long.

“Papa,” the tearful voice whimpered into his shoulder, muffled by fabric. “I—I …”

“Shh, shh,” he breathed back, his throat right with emotion and his eyes squeezed shut as he just felt he warmth in his arms. “It’s okay, I’m here. I’m here. Papa’s here.”

Logan was shaking. Everything in him was _trembling_.

The sounds of someone else approaching went unnoticed until a voice broke through his conscious. A voice that was honey-sweet, but quivering.

“Logan?”

Immediately his eyes opened. Wet and blurred and meshing the world of colour and lights, but he could make out the form of his husband. He could see him, the brown curls and the soft features that he had fallen so deeply in love with.

Logan couldn’t stand, not with Virgil clinging to him like he was and not with how weak his legs were. So, he reached a hand up and grabbed Patton by the wrist, pulling him down with a surprised gasp and holding onto him, his hand shaking as it twisted into the back of Patton’s shirt.

He held his boys.

There was nothing else he could do. He held onto them and he swore to himself that he never letting them go again.

“I-I thought you were—”

“I know, I know,” Logan’s voice was anything but steady and he was struggling to speak, but he needed to. Patton’s hands tightened in the back of his shirt as well and Logan had nearly forgotten how it felt to be held. “I’m here, I’m here. I promise you, fucking hell, I promise you I’m here.”

In any other moment, Patton would have chastised him for using such strong language in front of Virgil, but right now, he didn’t have the heart.

Life sucked and humans were worse, but in this moment it was just him and his boys. Nothing else in the world mattered. _Nothing_. He didn’t care that Roman was still there, he didn’t care about the hell that he had gone through the past six months. He didn’t _care_.

None of it mattered.

Not when he had his son and his husband in his arms.

He held onto them, desperation held it’s talons close. But he held them closer, as close as he physically could.

“I’m here,” Logan mumbled, his voice falling to something just above a whisper, but he knew both Virgil and Patton could hear him. “Everything is going to be okay now. Everything is going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at it again. Angst and fluff. Life is wack and so is not sleeping.


	15. Untitled #14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan suffers with nightmares of his time in a pet shop and Patton tries to help.  
> Parental Logicality.
> 
> This one is complete. 
> 
> (Warning for swearing, blood and non-descriptive violence.)

_The ever insistent tapping on the metal bars rattled through this core. The snide looks he would get from the other side of the cage; large eyes that held a malice for him and his kind, smiles that did not reach the patrons’ eyes._

_Smiles that were dangerous and sharp._

_But the child that stood in front of him, while she didn’t look dangerous to the average human adult, was a threat to Logan’s safety._

_Kids did not take lightly to borrowers, especially not when their parents didn’t seem to care much about teaching them manners and decency. Children saw borrowers as toys and things to be physically manipulated—like a doll or an action figure. Something inanimate and therefore, not sentient._

_The girl had entered the store about ten minutes ago and she had immediately searched for something in particular. It wasn’t until she was standing in front of Logan’s cage had he realized she was there for him. Or, if not him personally, than for Arthur who was quietly rocking himself back and forth on the other side of the enclosure._

_She raised a hand and tapped at the bars again, trying to gain his attention. Logan stayed resolute with his back turned to her, but he could still feel her eyes digging into his back. The heat of the look she was giving him._

_When the borrower stayed sitting, his knees curled up to his chest and his head ducked down, she relented for a moment. The thundering footsteps falling away behind him._

_At this, he turned his head, watching as she went to tug at her father’s suit jacket. The man in question seemed to have his head bent forwards and his eyes glued directly to his phone as if it were the most important thing in the world. However, with a look like that, Logan could tell that this was the kind of man was that was ready to buy his way out of a problem if something went awry._

_He wasn’t going to be bothered with her or her father until he saw that she was pointing in his direction._

_He couldn’t hear their conversation, but he had an itching feeling that he knew what exactly she wanted._

_The father had then turned to the shopkeeper after that, asking about something or other. The conversation was too distant for Logan to be able to make out what exactly they were saying, but with the devilish grin the girl sent back over her shoulder, he knew it wasn’t going to be good._

_“This is it,” Arthur mumbled to himself, his head in his hands as he kept rocking himself back and forth, as if he was trying to calm himself down._

_Any conversation that he tried to have with the other male usually ended up with Arthur in some sort of anxiety-induced fit. One would have thought that he would be better with that sort of reaction as his own son had been suffered through the same thing, just different circumstances._

_Seemed that being away from them for four months had already taken a toll on his emotional well-being._

_“We’re going to die here,” Arthur continued to bellyache and moan._

_No, Logan wasn’t going to die here._

_He wasn’t about to just kneel and keel over. Not when he had so much riding on getting out of this damned place._

_It wasn’t long before the shopkeeper was coming over, the little girl and her father trailing behind. The keys jangled in their hand and the lock on the cage was undone before he could even think to say something._

_“C’mere Logan,” the shopkeeper said in a condescending tone as they pulled the door open, before lowering themselves down to kneel with their hand palm up in front of the opening. “Little Eliza here would like to hold you.”_

_“Get lost,” he shot back, brown eyes sharp and distrusting._

_The shopkeeper sighed, rubbing their free hand down their face. “I don’t want to play these games today, just be good for once and come here.”_

_Logan sneered at that, rolling his shoulders and deliberately turning his back to the three humans._

_“Is he always like this?” The father asked, but he sounded more distracted and uninterested than he actually was._

_“Unfortunately,” the shopkeeper replied, “Eliza, would you like to hold Arthur instead? He is better behaved.”_

_“No,” the girl said suddenly, with such vigor that it started Logan. “I want him, not the other one. The other one looks like a nervous wreck.”_

_A quick glance over to the other borrower did solidify that truth. He really did look like a nervous wreck, shaking and shivering and muttering to himself._

_“Logan,” the shopkeeper raised their voice again, trying to sound more authoritative, like that had ever worked in the past. “Come here. Don’t make me reach in there and grab you.”_

_That wasn’t even a threat anymore._

_“Allow me, sir,” Eliza said in that mock innocent voice._

_Logan turned to look over his shoulder when the shopkeeper gave a surprised noise and the young man was instead welcomed with the sight of a hand coming directly for him. A startled yelp escaped him without his permission as the childish hand got far too close to him for comfort and he raised an arm as if that would defend him._

_Of course, he was disappointed when the girl’s hand wrapped around his form anyways, beginning to lift him off of the cage floor without a problem, as if he wasn’t a full grown man._

_Vertigo hit far too soon and he was pulled out from inside of what had, sadly, become a safety net. While many people had stared in and pointed and laughed, no one had been able to touch and grab him before._

_He was pulled up in a fist that was far too tight, that shoved his arms painfully into his sides, so much so that he knew he would have bruises by this evening._

_“Gentle with him, kid,” the shopkeeper said, noticing the grimace on the smaller features, “he’s not as strong as you.”_

_“I’m being gentle,” Eliza lied through her teeth, that shark-like grin never leaving her features as she examined the borrower in her hands. “He’s just doesn’t know what it’s like to be held.”_

_“I shouldn’t have to know what that’s like,” Logan hissed up at her and she squeezed a bit tighter, shoving the wind from his lungs._

_“Pets shouldn’t talk back, that’s what my always daddy says.”_

_“Very good, darling,” her father mused, scrolling through something on his phone before beginning to tap away at the screen._

_While the shopkeeper did look initially worried about Logan’s well-being, they weren’t doing much to change the situation either. There was a lot that they could do to the kid, such as making her put him down. Making sure that she didn’t squeeze the life from him without meaning to—or completely meaning too, whatever her intentions with him were._

_“Let me go,” Logan’s voice was hoarse from lack of a proper supply of air being taken in, but it wouldn’t stop him from making demands. Not when his safety was on the line._

_Eliza giggled again, shaking her head and using her thumb to stroke up and down his back in a rough and careless motion, obviously trying to cause him discomfort. “Pets also aren’t allowed to make demands, my daddy says that too.”_

_Logan grit his teeth, frustration nipping at him. “Let. Me. Go,” he enunciated this time, as if he thought she didn’t understand him the first time._

_He was trying to stay as calm as possible, as losing his temper was something that wasn’t going to help him at all in this situation, but he was so close. So fucking close to doing something he knew he would regret afterwards—not in terms of feeling bad, he couldn’t care less about the human child and her ridiculous feelings, but for the punishment that would be sure to follow instantly afterwards._

_Eliza only shook her head, making her stroking motions a bit more painful and prominent. “Borrowers like you shouldn’t be taking back to their owners,” her eyes sharpened. “Daddy? Can I have it?”_

_‘It.’_

_‘Can I have it.’_

_That was fucking_ it _._

_“Whatever you want darling,” the father said._

_Logan’s eyes scanned the three humans and he was pleasantly surprised when he noticed how none of them were focused on him, far too busy with each other. Which gave him more of a chance. With those words shoving an icy knife into his stomach, he needed to make a split second decision. After a moment deliberation and of desperation and his survival instincts taking over, he—albeit hesitantly—bit down into the girl’s hand and held._

_His nose wrinkled when he felt the hot rush of blood flood into his mouth and suddenly all he could taste was metallic and thick._

_“Ouch!” Came the cry from the female and before long, her hand snapped open from it’s locked position around his form and, without anything keeping him upright, Logan was dropped back onto the tabletop where his cage was. “It bit me!”_

_“Disgraceful,” the father snorted, “keep that thing away from my daughter. You should put it down for biting an innocent child.”_

_“Innocent my ass,” Logan snarled, pushing himself up onto his elbows while his torso groaned at him in agony, before raising a hand to wipe the remnant of blood from the edges of his mouth. “Your hellish child could have killed me.”_

_“It would have been no loss,” the man spat back, picking his daughter up as she wailed and held her hand close to herself. “I demand something to make up for this tragedy.”_

_The shopkeeper, who had been frozen in their surprised, quickly gathered Logan up into their hands. “O-of course, sir, I’m so sorry! He’s never done something like that before, I didn’t think he would—”_

_“I don’t care what you thought and what you didn’t think, I want something to compensate for the pain that it put my daughter through. You can start by getting her a band-aid.”_

_“O-of course, sir.”_

_The shopkeeper’s attention fluttered down to the borrower in their hand and Logan just glared right back up at them, brown eyes so full of hatred and fury that shone through chocolate brown bangs. Almost as if he was challenging them to do something to him._

_“You are in so much trouble for this,” the shopkeeper said then, as Eliza and her father decided to browse the rest of the pet shop for something of better interest that wouldn’t end up biting her. “It’s going to be a world of hurt for you.”_

_“I fucking dare you,” was what they got back in response._

_It was a challenge. Logan was challenging them to do something to him and they hadn’t thought that far ahead. They hadn’t expected Logan to say anything at all—in fact, they had sort been hoping that the borrower would be sulking like he usually did in his cage. Not this time, it seemed. This time he was ready to fight them every step of the way._

_Though, when the shopkeeper’s eyes hardened on him, Logan finally felt something stir within him. The dangerous, cold look he was getting in return. A calculating stare he was used to giving, but not used to receiving._

_“Maybe I will get you put down for this. That way, you’ll never get to see your family again. They’d never know what happened to you. And it would teach you not to mess with those that have such power over you. Your last mistake.”_

_The words hit him like nothing else had before. They sat like a heavy rock in his chest and anything about defying the shopkeeper that had wormed its way into him was gone._

_————_

Logan woke up in a cold sweat.

The taste of something metallic was overwhelming.

He blinked, panicked, trying to figure out where he was. The pitch black, save for the tiny bit of light seeping in from just above him, was making it hard to correspond that he was safe. It was hard to recognize what was surrounding him when he couldn’t see.

The blankets under his hands felt weighted and cold, thick and scratchy.

There was also a warmth beside him, a tired voice mumbling something, but Logan needed to get out. He needed out. He _needed_ to get _out_.

He couldn’t do this.

He could _not_ do this.

Unable to calm himself down quick enough, he threw off the blankets and sat up, using a hand to push his hair out of his face before reaching blindly for his glasses. It took a couple tries, but he managed to find them. The sound of someone shifting behind him made the young man stand up, twisting to face someone that he hadn’t wanted to ever see again.

Bright, sharp, sadistic green eyes looked right back at him and Logan’s heart dropped into his stomach.

_“Maybe I should get you put down for this.”_

Cold.

He was so cold. The look that he was getting from the other made him step back, eyes wide and terrified.

_“Your last mistake.”_

Hot.

The room was so hot. When had it gotten so warm? The thundering of his heart in his chest was the only thing Logan could focus on. Not the panting breaths, not the blood he could hear rushing in his ears.

Not the taste of blood in his mouth.

_“Your family? Please. They’d never know what happened to you.”_

He couldn’t breathe, his chest was tight and his mind was blank. Everything was blurring around him, the terror that seized his wrists was real and electric. Hot and cold all at the same time.

“Logan?” The voice didn’t match the features he was seeing, but his mind in far too much of a frenzy to actually register who was saying it. The panic that just seemed so instinctual was far outweighing his rational thought. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Eliza was right there. Standing outside the bars of his enclosure and he had no hope of getting out of this mess alive. Not when she had been so upset the first time. He didn’t remember getting caught again. Or, no, maybe he hadn’t been caught again. He had never truly gotten back home in the first place. Everything had been far too good for that.

A human that cared? A borrower that trusted said human? Getting to actually hold Patton and Virgil again? It must have been some sick trick. His mind was playing games on him in his grief.

Tactile hallucinations.

“Don’t come any closer,” he warned, his voice breaking.

He tried to sound demanding, but it came out as more of a withered, desperate plead.

_“Pets don’t make demands.”_

But they weren’t listening to him. The movements, while sluggish and tired, obviously weighed down the late night, had slowed down considerably. Almost as if she didn’t know what to do.

Though, they came closer to him, Logan matched it instantly with a step backwards. Every time the person in front of him came closer, he tried to put more space between them. Before long, Logan had his back pressed against a wall, he was cornered.

The hands then raised and were held up in a position that he recognized as a sign of surrender, which made no sense. Eliza had been far too persistent to leave him alone. She had had that sadistic grin on her features as her fingers had wrapped around his form, threatening to squeeze the life from him. To bruise and to tease and to taunt like he wasn’t a person with emotions or morals or _sentience_.

There was the ghost of her tight hold, compressing and forcing shorter breaths in and out. His panic was not helping the situation in the least.

He felt himself go weak in the knees and he slumped against the wall, staring up at the person in front of him with terror. The only emotion he was coherent enough to summon forwards.

“Logan, you need to breathe,” the voice said again and the vision flickered between two vastly contrasting scenes.

There was the pet store in all it’s glory, the loud chirping from the other animals and the tinkling from that stupid bell above the door, Eliza, her father and the shopkeeper standing on the other side of him, all looking smug and victorious.

But then, the other scene was relaxing. It was dark, he was back home, Patton was kneeling in front of him, dark curls falling in front of tired features, but soft gentle eyes pleading for him to relax. For a different reaction that what he was getting.

“Look at me,” the tone pleaded again and Logan shook his head.

_“Don’t ignore me, Logan. You’re in no place to be making demands.”_

“Can’t,” he breathed out finally, his eyes squeezing shut as tears flooded forwards, the echoing of the past six months were loud. Bells ringing and chiming. Sharp reminders of what he had gone through.

There was too much going on. Eliza was taunting him, the shopkeeper was using this weakness against him. The moment he looked up would be the moment he let those damned humans win. He couldn’t let them win. He couldn’t let them break him.

The moment he broke would be the moment he lost his only chance to go back home.

A gentle breath was released in front of him. “Yes you can,” the voice was quiet, reassuring. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

His shoulders were bunched, hands shaking as they stayed pressed against the floor, trying to keep himself as far from the person in front of him as he could.

In what seemed like forever—possibly only ten seconds or so—Logan felt the presence get closer to him. He could feel their warmth, but in all honestly, he was too scared to open his eyes for a few different reasons.

If he were to look, it would leave no barrier between his unshed tears and the person in front of him, thus causing him to lose any progress he had made with them by proving he was emotionless. Humans could use that information to manipulate you. He couldn’t show that weakness. He didn’t have an Achilles heel.

The other reason was that he was terrified to see Eliza again. He wouldn’t be able to handle it, not anymore.

Before he could say anything, he felt the person grab him by the hand. A loving touch. A tender grasp that said more than words could. Logan had initially flinched at the sudden, somewhat unwelcome, contact.

This was a touch that he knew. A touch that he could trust.

A sob jumped in his chest as soon as reality set back in and almost immediately, the presence grew far closer.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, after convincing himself that he was fine—he was totally okay and nothing was going to happen to him—he saw Patton’s sad eyes, but it wasn’t just that. It was more than that. It was concern, grief and unsaid words. Whispers that neither of them had the heart to say to each other.

All within a second, Logan was being tugged into the sweet embrace of his husband, a hand pressed against the back of his head and keeping him safe. He was _safe._

It wasn’t long before the one sob turned into two, then three, then four. And then they didn’t stop.

Logan reacted before his mind had caught up to him, but his hands dug into the back of Patton’s shirt, hiding his face in the crook between his neck and shoulder and just sobbing. Heaving, in and out without time or pace.

“Shh, shh,” Patton soothed him quietly, letting his free hand stroke up and down Logan’s back, or shifting and rubbing circles instead. It went between both motions a couple times, but never was it unpredictable. “You’re okay, I’m right here. Everything is okay.”

It was painful, seeing him like this. So broken and scared. Nightmares had never really happened before Logan had been captured. They had been there, sure, but not to this extreme. Not to the extreme that one hallucinated someone else in the room with them.

Or to physically see the threat.

Or to physically _feel_ the threat.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped quietly, sniffling as the tears finally began to slow down. “I— I shouldn’t have …”

“Don’t apologize, Lo,” Patton didn’t pull back from the embrace until he felt Logan shifting. He didn’t want to take the comfort away too soon if Logan wasn’t ready to lose it. “It was a nightmare and you can’t really stop those. Don’t apologize for reacting the way you did. It’s okay.”

Once he felt him shifting, Patton allowed himself to pull back, but not releasing his partner. He reached up, removing Logan’s glasses and setting them to the side, before using the sleeve of his night shirt to wipe the water away to the best of his ability.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, Logan allowing Patton to clean him up without fighting back, or at least complaining—whether teasingly or seriously—at the mother hen-like tactics.

“Do you … want to talk about it?”

The request was innocent, Logan knew that, but he shook his head. He really did not want to relive the past ten minutes so early in the morning.

Patton sighed quietly, before nodding. “Alright. Think you can get back to sleep?”

That was something he wasn’t sure about, but it seemed there was no true harm in trying. He was exhausted, that much was obvious. Emotionally and physically spent.

“Yeah.”

There was an understanding shared between them and Patton handed Logan his glasses. There was that lingering heaviness in the air, but it was going to be like that for a while anyways.

Without saying anything else, just as Patton was beginning to stand up, the lightest knock from their bedroom door caught their attention. Virgil stood in the doorway, his over sized hoodie draped over his shoulders and the hood pulled up as he held tightly onto a blanket like it was a tether, though the little one also had his sleeve stuck in his mouth, a nervous habit.

Logan belatedly realized that it was the blanket he had made the boy for his fourth birthday.

The two adults watched as the little boy’s eyes moved between them, obviously reading the situation. They seemed to grow even sadder when what was happening registered.

“Hey kid,” Logan croaked, his voice was nearly gone by this point in the night. He raised a hand and waved as an invitation for Virgil to come in.

As soon as he had been given permission, Virgil immediately went to his fathers and sunk down to his knees, crawling into Logan’s arms and letting himself be held.

While it was reassuring and comforting for Virgil, Logan also felt better. Being able to hold his son so close, to cradle him in his arms. To feel the rise and fall of his breaths and the light patter of his heartbeat. It was solidifying the idea that he was truly back home, that this wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him.

His hold tightened unconsciously on the kid and Virgil responded by holding tighter to his father.

It was almost as if Logan was trying to shield Virgil from the horrors that he had seen, the horrors of the human world and their disgusting wants and needs. His son would never have to see that side of humanity, not if he had anything to say about. The most, hopefully, that Virgil would be the students that attended the University and that was it.

The third hand that suddenly appeared on Logan’s back surprised him slightly, but he leaned into the touch as well.

He was safe and the images he had seen were just that; _images_.

He did feel a twinge in his chest when he realized what had brought Virgil in here in the first place. It meant that Logan’s panic had been loud enough to wake him, even with his room down the hall. But the genuine concern that the boy had to come and see if he was doing okay was kind. Certainly something that Virgil had picked up from Patton, undoubtedly.

Patton stroked his fingers through Virgil’s hair a couple times, watching as he just seemed to melt into Logan’s embrace, the tired features were hidden in his shoulder.

“Let’s get you two back to bed, hmm?”

Logan’s eyes turned to Patton as his husband smiled lightly, sadly but genuine. He could agree that getting to bed would be the most logical course of action, as it certainly was not the time to be awake.

Patton pushed himself off of his knees and Logan was soon to follow, however a bit slower as he tried not to shift Virgil too much. He wasn’t sure if the kid was asleep or not, but he didn’t want to disturb him either way. Then there was the task of getting him back to bed.

As the blanket slid from Virgil’s hand, Logan was quick to attempt to get it before Patton picked it up for him.

“Mm,” the voice from his shoulder mumbled quietly, “papa?”

Logan hummed in response, showing that he was listening. “Yes, Virgil?”

Virgil shifted his head a little bit, enough so that he could see the underside of his father’s jaw. “Can I stay here with you and dad tonight?”

Logan didn’t even have to look at Patton to know the answer to that. “Of course you can,” he adjusted him a little bit more, so he could hold onto him a bit more comfortably and securely.

The bed that they had was big enough for three people, especially when one of those three was a six-year-old boy.

After a bit of readjusting the bed—since Logan had nearly torn it apart in his panic to get away—he set Virgil down beside Patton and immediately, Virgil clung onto him.

The sight was what gave him pause. It was what made him stop for a minute and really see just how lucky he was to be there in that moment.

To see his boys curled up together, safe and comfortable.

The grin that twitched the edges of his lips was genuine. Pulling his glasses off and setting them off to the side, Logan pulled at the comforter before slipping underneath as well. He wrapped his arms around both Virgil and Patton and tugged them both closer to him.

Logan was insanely lucky to be back home. He had watched countless others get adopted from the same cage he had been in, shared brief farewells with other borrowers who were never seen again. The thought was heavy and uncomfortable, but being able to say he was alive.

To be able to say that he was _home_.

That was what mattered the most.


End file.
